A   HISTORY 


OF 


f  kdfofd, 


CONTAINING 

SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PLACE—  OF  ITS  FIRST 

SETTLEMENT  IN  1765,  AND  THE  PRINCIPAL  IMPROVE 

MENTS  MADE,  AND  EVENTS  WHICH  HAVE  OCCURRED 

DOWN  TO  1874—  A  PERIOD  OF  ONE  HUNDRED 

AXD  NINE  YEARS. 

WITH 

VARIOUS  GENEALOGICAL  RECORDS,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

OF  FAMILIES  AND  INDIVIDUALS,  SOME  DECEASED, 

AND  OTHERS  STILL  LIVING. 


By  Rev.  SILAS  MeKEEN,  D.  D. 
\\ 


WRITTEN    BY   REQUEST   OF  SAID   TOWN. 


MONTPELTER,    VT. : 
J.   D.   CLARK  &  SON,   PUBLISHERS. 

1875. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  present  Inhabitants 

of 
BRADFORD,     VERMONT, 

And  Their  Posterity ; 

Not  forgetting  Relatives  and  Friends  abroad, 
This  History,  prepared  by  request  of  the  Town,  and  con 
taining  some  account  of  many  families  and  individuals  who  have 
here  lived,  and  of  the  principal  Transactions  and  Events 
which  have  here  occurred  during  somewhat 

over  a  hundred  years  past,  is 
RESPECTFULLY      DEDICATED, 

by 
Their  Friend, 

THE  AUTHOR. 

BRADFORD,  VT.,  October  i,  1874. 


NOTE. — Reminiscences  of  various  other  Families  and  Individuals  would 
gladly  have  been  included,  had  the  requisite  information  been  furnished  ; 
as  was  reasonably  and  respectfully  solicited  by  the  writer. 


Printed  at  Argus  and  Patriot  Office,  Montpelier,  Vt 


HISTORY   OF   BRADFORD,   VERMONT. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Location — Partial  Survey,  by  order  of  the  Governor  of  New  Hampshire 
— Charter  by  King  George  III — Deed  of  30,000  acres  from  William 
Smith,  in  behalf  of  the  Proprietors,  to  quiet  the  Early  Settlers — Change  of 
name,  from  Moretown  to  Bradford,  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont,  and 
their  grant  of  the  township,  in  trust,  to  Smith,  Harvey  and  Whitelaw,  on 
certain  conditions — Disposal  of  the  Hazen  Appropriation — Topography  of 
the  Township;  W right's  Mountain,  Wait's  River,  &c — Incidental  notice 
of  the  first  settlers. 

Page  9. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Transactions  of  early  Town  Meetings — A  list  of  Town  Clerks  and  Rep 
resentatives,  from  the  first — Roads  surveyed,  and  distances  from  place  to 
place — Bridges  built — Freshets — Army  of  Worms. 

Page  40. 

CHAPTER  III, 

Ecclesiastical  affairs — Meeting-houses — Churches;  Congregational,  Rev. 
J.  K.  Williams,  Rev.  L.  H.  Elliott;  Methodist,  with  list  of  pastors;  Bap 
tist — Cemeteries — Present  population  of  the  town. 

Page  54. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Educational  matters — District  schools — Funds  for  their  support — Acad 
emy — Scientific  society — Newspapers — Home  for  the  Destitute— Town 
Hall — Manufactures — Photography — Banks — Various  business  of  the  place, 
with  biographical  sketches  of  individuals  engaged  in  it — Fair  grounds. 

Page  79. 

CHAPTER  V.  x 

The  patriotism  and  soldiery  of  Bradford — Captain  Corliss,  a  veteran  of 
the  Revolution — Charles  May  killed  in  a  duel — Bradford  Brass  Band. 

Page  97. 


6 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Andrew  B.  Peters,  Esq.,  and  family,  with  biographical   sketches  of  his 
father,  Colonel  John  Peters,  and  others  of  historic  distinction. 

Page  126. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Baldwins;  with  their  connections — The  Pecketts — Chases — and  the 
Stricklands. 

Page  141. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Dea.  Reuben  Martin  and  family — Dea.  Joseph  Clark  and  family — Rev. 
Dr.  Martin  Ruter — The  Fifield  boy,  that  was  lost  and  found. 

Page  158. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Dr.  Bildad  Andross — Colonel   John  Barren — General  Micah  Barron — 
Captain  William  Trotter — Their  families. 

Page  172. 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Hunkins,  Underwood,  Bliss,  and  Wright  families. 

Page  201. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  McDuffees— James  Wilson,  the  Globe  Maker — David  Wilson,  Esq. 
— Their  families. 

Page  234. 
CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Tabors,  Putnams,  Pearsons,  and  Sawyers. 

Page  260. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Kimball,  Simpson,  Colby,  Greenleaf,  and  Corliss  families. 

Page  277. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

John  B.  Peckett,  Esq.,  and   family— The  Johnsons— Willards— Worth- 
leys — Armstrongs  and  Nelsons. 

Page  292. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Aldrich,  Hardy,  and  Shaw  families, 

Page  310. 


7 
CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Prichards,  Lows,  and  Ormsbys. 

Page  339. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Dea.  George  L.  Butler — James  I).  Clark— Captain  Charles  Rogers — 
John  Flanders — David  Manson — Their  families. 

Page  359- 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Hon.  J.  W.  Batchelder — Roswell  Farnham,  Esq.,  —Adams  Preston — Wil 
liam  B.  Stevens— C.  P.  Clark— B.  Hay— A.  Osborn— J.  K.  Davis— Dea. 
Israel  Cummings — Their  families. 

Page  374. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Physicians — Aubery,  Andross,  Stebbins,  Whiting,  Whipple,  Putnam, 
Colby,  Poole,  Martin,  Carter,  Cushiug,  Carpenter,  Doty,  Warden,  and 
others. 

Page  392. 
CHAPTER  XX. 

Rev.  S.  McKeen  and  family. 

Page  411. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Specimens  of  Bradford  poetry,  by  Thomas  Ormsby,  Thomas  Tabor,  Miss 
Lydia  White,  Emily  R.  Page  Catharine  McKeen  and  Rev.  S.  McKeen. 

Page  438. 

VALEDICTION. 

Page  459. 


OF 

1   BRADFORD,   VERMONT. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Location — Partial  Survey,  by  Order  of  the  Governor  of  New  Hamp 
shire — Charter  by  Kino-  George  III — Deed  of  30,000  Acres  From 
Win.  Smith,  in  Behalf  of  the  Proprietors,  to  Quiet  the  Early 
Settlers — Change  of  the  Name,  From  Mooretown  to  Bradford,  by 
the  Legislature  of  Vermont:  and  Their  Grant  of  the  Township 
in  Trust,  to  Smith,  "Harvey  and  Whitelaw,  on  Certain  Conditions 
—Disposal  of  the  Ha/en  Appropriation — Topography  of  the 
Township:  Wright's  Mountain,  Wait's  River,  &<•. — Incidental 
Notices  of  the  first  Settlers. 

Bradford,  in  Orange  County,  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
Connecticut  river,  opposite  .to  Piermont  in  Xe\v  Hamp 
shire,  is  bounded  S.  by  Fairlee  and  West  Fairlee,  W.  by 
Corinth,  and  X.  by  Newhury:  and  occupies  a  position 
about  midway  between  the  South  and  North  limits  of  the 
State ;  lat.  44  °  N.,  long.  4  °  ,  46' ,  E. 

In  the  year  1760,  as  stated  in  the  introductory  chapter 
to  Orange  County,*  the  Governor  of  Ne\v  Hampshire  com 
missioned  Joseph  Blanchard,  of  Dunstable  in  that  State, 
to  make  a  survey  of  Connecticut  river  northward  from 
No.  4,  as  Charlestown,  N.  H.  was  then  called,  and -at  the 
end  of  every  six  miles,  on  a  straight  line,  to  mark  a  tree, 
or  set  a  boundary  on  each  side  of  the  river,  for  a  town 
ship.  This  survey,  made  mainly  on  the  ice,  was  comple 
ted  in  the  month  of  March,  of  that  year,  and  extended  up 
the  river  to  what  is  now  the  X.  E.  corner  of  Newbury. 
The  tract  of  country  now  embraced  in  Orange  Countv 
was  then  an  unbroken  wilderness,  claimed  both  by  Xe\v 

*  See  Vermont  Historical  Magazine. 


10 

Hampshire  and  New  York,  unsurveyed,  and  no  part  of  it 
granted  either  to  individuals  or  corporations.  In  his  sur 
vey  northward  Blanchard  made  his  seventh  six  miles 
boundary  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  where  the  N.  E. 
corner  of  Fairlee  and  the  S.  E.  corner  of  Bradford  now 
are ;  thence  proceeding  six  miles  up  the  river  he  made 
another  corner  mark  on  a  tree  which  stood  about  one  rod 
S.  W.  from  the  8.  VV.  corner  of  Bedel's  bridge,  subse-' 
quently  built,  where  the  bridge*  across  the  Connecticut, 
between  South  Newbury  and  Haverhill  now  is ;  as  was 
testified  under  oath,  by  said  Blanchard  and  Thomas  Cham 
berlain,,  his  assistant,  when  taken  to  the  spot  in  1808  for 
the  express  purpose  of  determining  this  point.  From  that 
bound,  Blanchard  proceeded  northward  till  he  came  to  the 
upper  end  of  the  great  meadows,  a  distance  of  seven 
miles  from  the  bound  last  mentioned,  and  near  there,  on  a 
little  island  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Ammon- 
oosuc,  made  another  bound,  which  still  marks  the  N.  E. 
corner  of  Newbury ;  thus  giving  to  that  township,  on  its 
north  side,  an  extra  tract  of  land,  a  mile  in  width,  and  at 
least  six  miles  in  length.  Here  lie  finished  his  survey, 
and  returned  to  headquarters,  to  make  the  requisite  re 
port.  The  next  year  a  survey  of  the  same  sort  was  made 
under  the  same  authority,  by  Hughbastis  Neel,  from  where 
Blanchard  left  off  to  the  north  end  of  the  great  meadows, 
called  the  upper  Coos.  From  these  surveys  a  plan  was 
made,  and  three  tiers  of  towns  on  each  side  of  the  river 
projected,  and  several  of  them  chartered  without  any 
further  actual  survey  on  the  ground.  In  that  year,  1701, 
there  were  applicants  for  about  every  township  on  the 
river,  so  far  as  then  surveyed.  . 

In  17G3,  March  18,  Capt.  Jacob  Bailey  obtained,  in  be 
half  of  himself  and  Qthers,  a  charter  of  Newbury,  from 
New  Hampshire,  in  accordance  with  Blanchard's  survey 
and  plan  on  paper,  making  the  S.  E.  corner  on  the  river, 
seven  miles  from  the  N.  E.,  as  before  stated. 


11 

About  the  same  time,  John  Hazen  took  out  a  corres 
ponding  charter  of  Haverhill ;  and  in  June  of  that  year, 
1763,  the  proprietors  of  Haverhill  and  Newbury  had  a 
meeting,  with  a  view  to  the  actual  survey  and  allotment 
of  the  respective  townships ;  and  chose  Caleb  Willard  as 
their  chief  surveyor,  who  employed  Benjamin  Whiting  as 
his  assistant.  Willard  began  his  survey  from  the  N.  E. 
boundary  of  Newbury,  as  made  by  his  predecessor,  and 
proceeded  down  the  river  to  his,  Blanchard's,  next  bound 
ary,  which  he  found  to  be  a  little  over  seven  miles  distant ; 
—but  without  stopping  there,  he  continued  directly  on 
one  mile  and  seventeen-  chains  further,  into  the  unchar- 
tered  tract,  now  Bradford,  where  he  made  a  new  8.  E. 
corner  of  Newbury ;  leaving  the  distance  thence  to  the 
N.  E.  corner  of  Fairlee  but  four  miles  and  sixty-three 
chains,  instead  of  six  miles,  as  in  justice  it  should  have 
been.  Thus  Waits  River  Town,  as  they  called  it,  being 
unchartered,  and  having  no  one  to  stand  up  for  its  rights, 
was  deprived  of  a  strip  of  land  one  mile  and  sixtv-eight 
rods  in  width,  and  extending  across  its  northern  limit 
from  E.  to  W.  That  this  was  done  by  the  connivance  and 
direction  of  the  proprietors  above  named,  there  can  be  no 
rational  doubt,  as  Willard,  having  st»t  that  bound,  went  di 
rectly  across  the  river  and  performed  the  same  service  for 
Haverhill,  at  the  expense  of  Fiermont,  then  unchartered, 
and  Whiting,  pursuing  the  survey  of  Newbury,  ran  from 
the  new  boundary  N.  fifty-nine  degrees,  W.  eight  miles 
for  its  southern  line  or  side ;  whereas  according  to  its 
charter  it  should  have  been  but  six  and  one-fourth  miles, 
thus  making  a  great  addition  on  the  west,  as  well  as  on 
the  south,  and  giving  the  proprietors  of  that  town  over 
40,000  acres,  when  entitled  to  but  27,000,  according  to 
their  grant  from  New  Hampshire.  This  grasp,  however, 
on  the  west  was  subsequently  abandoned. 

In  1772,  Newbury,  having  resigned  her  New  Hampshire 
charter  to  New  York,  took  out  from  that  government,  by 


12 

royal  authority,  a  new  one,  dated  March  19  of  that  year, 
which  coincided  with  their  original  charter  from  New 
Hampshire  and  with  the  royal  charter  of  Mooretown 
granted  two  years  before ;  paying  no  regard  whatever  to 
the  Willard  and  Whiting  survey,  which  had  so  enormously 
and  unjustifiably  increased  the  area^  of  that  township. 
This  encouraged  the  inhabitants  of  Mooretown  to  insist 
more  strenuously  on  their  right  to  the  tract  on  their 
northern  border  in  dispute,  and  the  settlers  on  the  same 
for  some  time  attended  town  meetings,  voted,  and  paid 
taxes,  in  that  new  township.  This  state  of  things  contin 
ued  till  1778,  when  Vermont  having  declared  itself  inde 
pendent  and  consequently  free  from  the  jurisdiction  both 
of  New  Hampshire  and  New  York,  Newbury  again  in 
sisted  on  its  claim,  and  has  ever  since  held  it;  though  not 
without  occasional  remonstrances  from  their  dissatisfied, 
but  well-disposed  neighbor*.  Here  we  see  how  it  came 
to  pass  that  Bradford  is,  in  area,  so  much  smaller  than 
Newbury  •  so  much  less  than  the  average  of  other  towns 
in  Orange  County.  For  these  historical  facts  we  are  in 
debted  to  a  manuscript,  prepared  evidently  with  great 
care,  by  John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  a  distinguished  surveyor, 
now  deceased,  but  formerly  of  Bradford. 

The  first  inhabitants  of  Waits  River  town,  or  Waits- 
town,  its  the  tract  now  known  as  Bradford  was  originally 
called,  came  as  adventurers,  and  took  up  for  themselves 
land  by  what  was  styled  pitches,  without  license  or  au 
thority,  from  any  source  whatever;  and  continued  along 
in  this  way  from  the  first  settlement  by  John  Osmer  or 
Hosmer,  on  the  North  side  of  Waits  river,  at  its  confluence 
with  the  Connecticut,  in  1765,  to  the  year  1770; 
when,  the  number  of  land-holders  amounting  to  thirty, 
it -was  deemed  by  them  to  be  high  time  to  obtain, 
if  possible,  some  valid  title  to  their  lands,  and  to 
have  the  tract  between  Newbury  and  Fairlee  constituted 
a  township.  For  this  purpose.,  they  jointly  commissioned 


13 

Samuel  Sleeper,  one  of  their  number,  to  go  to  New  YorkT 
and  agree,  if  practicable,  with  one  William  Smith,  Esq., 
an  influential  m  in  of  that  city,  to  obtain  for  them  a  royal 
charter,  with  a  distinct  understanding  between  them  and 
him  that  on  his  procuring  the  desired  charter  he  should 
give  them  a  good  title  to  the  lands  they  had  begun  to 
cultivate,  one  hundred  acres  to  each,  and  that  he  and  such 
proprietors  as  lie  should  engage  with  him,  should  hold  as 
their  own  all  the  rest  of  the  township.  The  mission  of 
Sleeper  was  attended  with  the  desired  success,  as  we 
shall  see  by  the  authentic  documents  here  following. 
The  substance  of  the  charter  might  be  given  in  a  few 
sentences,  but  as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  and  example  of 
how  matters  of  this  sort  were  then  transacted,  it  may  be 
more  satisfactory  to  see  a  copy  of  the  said  charter  pre 
cisely  as  originally  expressed  by  royal  authority. 

"  Charter  of  Hboretown,  subsequently  called  Bradford, 
by  King  George  the  Third,  May  3d,  1770. 

"  GEORGE  the  Third,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great 
Britain,  France  and  Ireland  king,  defender  of  the  faith 
and  so  forth  :  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come, 
Greeting.  WHEREAS  our  loving  subject  William  Smith 
of  our  city  of  New  York,  Esquire,  by  his  humble  petition 
in  behalf  of  his  associates  presented  unto  our  trusty  and 
well  beloved  Cadwallder  Golden  Esquire,  our  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  our  Province  of  New 
York  and  the  territories  depending  thereon  in  America, 
and  read  in  our  Council  for  our  said  province,  on  the 
twenty-eighth  day  of  March,  now  last  past,  did  set  forth 
that  on  the  Seventh  day  of  November  which  was  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  One  Thousand  seven  hundred  and  severi 
ty-six,  a  petition  was  preferred  to  our  late  trusty  and 
well  beloved  Sir  Henry  Moore,  Baronet,  then  our  Captain 
General  and  Governor  in  Chief  of  our  said  province,  in 
the  name  of  John  French  and  his  associates,  praying  a 
grant  of  certain  lands  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut 


14 

river — That   onr  said  late  Captain  General  and  Governor 
in  Chief  was  advised  by  our  Council  to  grant  the  pi-ay er 
of  the  said  petition,  and  that  a  Warrant  issued  the  same 
day  to  the  Surveyor  General  for  a  Survey  thereof — That 
the  said  John  French  is  since  deceased,  and  that  the  pe 
titioner  and  his  associates  are  the  persons  intended  to  be 
chiefly  benefitted  by  that  application — That  the  tract  that 
they  desire  to  take  up  contains,  as  it  is  supposed,  about 
Thirty  Thousand  Acres,  to  the  Southward  of  a  tract  of 
land  commonly  called  or  known  by  the  name  of  Newberry, 
and  adjoining  the  same,  and  w;is  granted  under  the  prov 
ince  of  New  Hampshire — That  there  are  diverse  persons 
settled  within  the  limits  of  the  said  tract  of  land,  amount 
ing  in  all  to  Thirty  families,  to  whom  the  petitioner  and  his 
associates  intend  to  convey,  after  a  Patent  is  issued,  Three 
Thousand  Acres,  to  wit,  to  the  head  of  each  family  One 
Hundred  Acres,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  to  them 
the  parts  they  have  respectively  cultivated — and  there 
fore  the  petitioner  did  humbly  pray  that  the  lands  afore 
said  might  be  granted  to  him  and  his  associates  as  tenants 
in  common  in  fee,  agreeable  to  the  directions1  and  upon 
the    terms    of  our  Royal    Instructions — Which   petition 
having  been  referred  to  a  Committee  of  cur  Council  for 
our  said  province,  our  said  Council  did  afterward  on  the 
same  Twenty-eighth  day  of  March,  in  pursuance  of  the 
report  of  the  said  Committee  humbly  advise  and  consent 
that  our   said  Lieutenant   Governor  and  Ccmmander  in 
Chief  as  aforesaid,  should,  by  our  Letters  Patent,  grant  to 
the  said  William  Smith  and  his  asspciates  and  their  heirs, 
the  lands  described  in  the  said  petition  according  to  tie 
prayer  thereof,  under  the  quit  rent  pr<,viV<  es,  limitati<  us 
and  restrictions,  presented  by  our  Royal  Instructions,  and 
that  the  said  lands  should  by  the  said   Letters  Patent  be 
erected  into  a  Township,  by  the  name  of  MOOEE  Towx, 
with  the  privileges  usually  granted  to  other  Townships 
within  our  saiol  Province.     In  pursuance  whereof  anol  in 


15 

obedience  to  our  said  Royal  Instructions,  our  Commission 
ers  appointed  lor  setting  out  all  lands  to  be  granted  with 
in  our  said  province  have  set  out  for  the  said  petitioner 
William  Smith  and  his  associates,  to  wit: — James  Robert 
son,  Richard  Maitland,  William  Shereff,  Goldsbrow  Ban- 
yar,  Andrew  Andersen,  Jonathan  Mallet,  Peter  Van  Brugh 
Livingston,  Charles  McEvers,  Hugh  Gaine,  Francis  Stev 
ens.  William  Bruce,  Thos.   William  Moore,    Samuel    Yer 
Planck,  Richard  Yates,  Abraham  Mortier,  Abraham  Lyii- 
sen,  Abraham  Lott,  Hamilton  Young,  Garret  Noel,  Eben- 
ezer  Hazzard,  John  Aslop,  Thomas  James7  Thomas  Smith, 
and  Samuel  Smith,  All  that  certain  Tract  or  Parcel  of 
Land  Iving  and  being  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut 
River  in  the  Count}'  of  Gloucester  within  our  province  of 
New  York,  Beginning  on  the  west  bank  of  said  river  at  a 
white  pine  tree  blazed  and  marked  for  the  Northeast  cor 
ner  of  a  tract  of  land  known  by  the  name  of  Fairlee,  and 
runs  thence  north,  sixty-one  degrees  west,  five  hundred 
and  ninety  chains, ;  then  north  thirty-two  degrees  east, 
five   hundred   and  twenty  chains :  then  south  fifty-nine 
degrees  east,  five  hundred  chains  to  the  said  river;  then 
down  said  river,  as  it  winds  and  turns,  to  the  place  where 
this  tract  began ;  containing  Twenty-five  Thousand  Acres 
of  Land  and  the  usual  allowance  for  highways.     And  in 
setting  out  the  said  tract  of  twenty-five  thousand  acres 
of  land,  our  said  Commissioners  have  had  regard  to  the 
profitable  and  unprofitable  acres,  and  have  taken  care  that 
the  length  thereof  doth  not  extend  along  the  banks  of  any 
river  otherwise  than  is  conformable  to  our  said  Royal  In 
structions,  as  by  a  Certificate  thereof  under  their  hands, 
bearing  date  the  Seventh  day  of  April  now  last  past,  and 
entered,  on  record  in  c.uv  Secretary's  Office  for  our  said 
province  may  mere  fully  ay/pear;  which  said  tract  of  land, 
set  out  as  aft  resaid  according  to  cur  Royal  Instructions, 
we  being  willing  to  grant  to  said  petitioner  and  his  asso 
ciates,  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  with  the   several 


16 

privileges  and  powers  hereinafter  mentioned — KNOW  YE, 
That  of  our  special  grace,  certain  knowledge,  and  mere 
motion,  we  have  given,  granted,  ratified  and  confirmed, 
and  by  these  presents,  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors, 
give,  grant,  ratify  and  confirm  unto  them,  the  said  William 
Smith,  James  Robertson,  Richard  Maitland,  William  Shrr- 
eff,  Goldsbrow  Banyar,  Andrew  Anderson,  Jonathan  Mal 
let,  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  Charles  McEvers,  Hugh 
Gaine,  Francis  Stephens,  William  Bruce,  Thos.  William 
Moore,  Samuel  Ver  Planck,  Richard  Yates,  Abraham  Mnr- 
tier,  Abraham  Lynseri,  Abraham  Lott,  Hamilton  Young, 
Garret  Noel,  Ebenezer  Ha/zard,  John  Alsop,  Thomas 
James,  Thomas  Smith,  and  Samuel  Smith,  their  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  All  that,  the  tract  or  parcel  of  bind  afore 
said  ;  set  out,  abutted,  bounded  and  described,  in  manner 
and  form  as  above  mentioned,  together  with  all  and  sin 
gular  the  tenements,  hereditaments,  emoluments  and  ap 
purtenances  thereunto  belonging  or  appertaining,  and  also 
•all  our  estate,  right,  title,  interest,  possession,  claim  and 
demand  whatsoever  of,  in,  and  to  the  same  lands  and 
premises,  and  every  part  and  parcel  thereof,  and  the  re 
version  and  reversions,  remainder  and  remainders,  rents, 
issues,  and  profits  thereof;  Except,  and  always  reserved 
out  of  this  our  present  Grant,  unto  us  our  heirs  and  suc 
cessors  for  ever,  all  mines  of  Gold  and  Silver,  and  also  all 
white  and  other  sorts  of  Pine  Trees  .fit  for  Masts,  of  the 
growth  of  twenty-four  inches  diameter  and  upwards  at 
twelve  inches  from  the  earth,  for  Masts  of  the  Royal  XHVV 
of  us,  our  heirs  and  successors. — To  HAVE  A?vr>  TO  HOLD, 
one  full  and  equal  twenty-fifth  part  (the  whole  into  twen 
ty-five  equal  parts  to  be  divided)  of  the  said  tract  or  par 
cel  of  land,  tenements,  hereditaments  and  premises,  by 
these  presents  granted,  ratified  and  confirmed,  and  every 
part  and  parcel  thereof  with  their,  and  ever^y  of  their  ap 
purtenances,  (except  as  is  herein  before  excepted)  unto 
each  of  them  our  grantees  above  mentioned,  their  heirs 


17 

and  assigns  respectively,  to  their  only  proper  and  sepa 
rate  use  and  behoof,  respectively  and  forever,  as  tenants 
in  common  and  not  as  joint  tenants,  to  be  holden  of  us, 
our  heirs  and  successors,  in  free  and  common  socage,  as  of 
our  Manor  of  East   Greenwich  in  our  county  of  Kent?> 
within  our  kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  yielding,  rendering 
and  paying  therefor  yearly,  and  every  year  forever,  unto 
us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  at  our  Custom  House  in  our 
citv  of  New  York,  unto  our  or  their  Collector  or  Receiver 
General  there,  for  the  time  being,  on  the  feast  of  the  An 
nunciation  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  commonly  called 
Lady  Day,  the  yearly  rent  of  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
sterling,  for  each  and  every  hundred  acres  of  the  above 
granted  lands,  and  so  in  proportion  for  any  less  quantity 
thereof,  saving  and  except  for  such  part  of  the  said  lauds 
allowed  for  highways  as  above  mentioned,  in  lieu  and 
stead  of  all  other  rents,  services,  dues,  duties  and   de 
mand  whatever,  for  the  hereby  granted  lands  and  premises, 
or  any  part  thereof.     And  we  do  also,  of  our  special  grace, 
certain  knowledge  and  mere  motion,  create,  erect,  and 
constitute,  the  tract  or  parcel  of  land  herein  granted,  and 
every  part  and  parcel  thereof,  a  Township,  forever  here 
after  to  continue  and  remain,  and  by  the  name  of  MOOKE 
TOWN  forever  hereafter  to  be  called  and  known  :  ;md  for 
the  better  and  more  easily  carrying  on  and  managing  the 
publick  affairs  of  said  Township  our  Royal  will  and  pleas 
ure  is,  and  we  do  hereby  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors 
give  and  grant  to  the  said  Township,  all  the  powers  and 
authorities,  privileges  and  advantages  heretofore  granted 
to.  or  legally   enjoyed  by,  all,  any,  or  either  our  other 
Townships  within  our  said  province.     And  we  also  ordain 
and  establish  that,  there  shall  be  forever  hereafter,  in  the 
said  Township,  two  Assessors,  one  Treasurer,  two  Over 
seers  of  the  high   ways,  two  Overseers  of  the  pdor,  one 
Collector,  and  four  Constables,  elected  and  chosen  out  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  said  Township  yearly,  and  every 


U8 

year,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  at  the  most  publick 
place  in  the  said  Township  by  the  majority  of  the  free 
holders  thereof,  then  and  there  met  and  assembled  for  that 
purpose ;    Hereby    declaring-   that  wheresoever  the  first 
Election  in  the  said  Township  shall  be  held,  the  future 
Elections    shall  forever  thereafter  be  held,  in  the  same 
place,  as  near  as  may  be,  and  giving'  and  granting  to  the 
said  officers  so  chosen,  power  and  authority  to  exercise 
their  said  several  and  respective  offices,  during  one  whole 
year  from  such  Election,  arid  until  others  are  legally  chosen 
and  elected  in  their  room  and  stead,  as  fully  and  amply  as 
any  like  officers  have,  or  leg-illy  may  use  or  exercise  their 
offices  in  our  said  province;  and  in  case  any  or  either  of 
the  said  officers  shall  die,  or  remove  from  the  said  Town 
ship,  before  the  time  of  their  annual  service  shall  be  ex 
pired,  or  refuse  to  act  in  the  offices  for  which  they  shall 
be  respectively  chosen,  then  our  Royal  will  and  pleasure 
further  is,  and  we  do  hereby  direct,  ordain,  and  require 
the  freeholders  of  the  said  Township  to  meet  at  the  place 
where  the  annual  election  shall  be  held  tor  the  said  Town 
ship  and  clmsc  other,  or  others  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
said  township  in  the  place  and  stead  of  him  or  them  so 
dying,  removing,  or  refusing  to  act,  within   forty  day's 
'after  such  contingency.     And  to  prevent  any  undue  Elec 
tion  in  this  case,  we  do  hereby  ordain  and  require  that 
upon  every  vacancy  in  the  office  of  Assessors,  the  Treas 
urer,  and  in  either  of  the  other  offices,  the  Assessors  of 
the  said  township,  shall,  within  ten  days  next  after  any 
such  vacancy  first  happens,  appoint  the  day  for  such  Elec 
tion  arid  give  public  notice  thereof  in  writing  Minder  his 
or  their  hands,  by  affixing  the  notice  on  the  Church  door 
or  other  most  publick  place  in  the  said  Township,  at  the 
least  ten  days  before  the  day  appointed  for  such  Election; 
And  in  default  thereof,  we  do  hereby  require  the  officer 
or  officers  of  the  said  Township,  or  the  e-urvivor  of  them, 
who  in  the  order  thev  are  hereinheforementioried   shall 


19 

succeed  him  or  them  so  making  default,  within  ten  days 
next  after  such  default,  to  appoint  the  day  for  such  Elec 
tion,  and  give  notice  thereof  as  aforesaid,  hereby  giving 
and  granting  that  such  person  or  persons  as  shall  be 
chosen  by  the  majority  of  such  of  the  freeholders  of  the 
said  township  as  shall  meet  in  manner  hereby  directed, 
shall  have,  hold,  exercise  and  enjoy  the  office  or  offices  to 
which  he  or  they  shall  be  so  elected  and  chosen,  from  the 
time  of  such  election  until  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  then 
next  folio  wing,  and  until  other  or  others  be  legally  chosen 
in  his  or  their  place  and  ste-id,  as  fully  as  the  person  or 
persons  in  whose  place  he  or  they  shall  be  chosen  might 
or  could  have  done  by  virtue  of  these  presents.  And  we 
do  hereby  will  and  direct  that  this  method  shall  forever 
after  be  used  for  the  filling  up  all  vacancies  that  shall  hap 
pen  in  any  or  either  of  said  offices  between  the  annual 
Elections  above  directed. 

PROVIDED  ALWAYS, .and  upon  condition,  nevertheless. 
That  if  our  said  grantees,  their  heirs  or  assigns,  or  some, 
or  one  of  them,  shall  not  within  three  years  next  after  the 
date  of  this  our  present  Grant,  settle  on  the  said  tract  of 
land  hereby  granted,  so  many  families  as  shall  amount  to 
one  family  for  every  thousand  acres  of  the  same  tract,  or 
if  they  our  said  grantees,  or  one  of  them,  their,  or  one  of 
their,  heirs  or  assigns,  shall  not  also  within  three  years, 
to  be  computed  as  aforesaid,  plant  and  effectually  culti 
vate,  at  least  three  acres  for  every  fifty  acres  of  such  of 
the  hereby  granted  lands  as  are  capable  of  cultivation: 
or  if  they  our  said  grantees,  or  any  of  them,  or  any  of 
their  heirs  or  assigns,  or  any  other  person  or  persons  by 
their,  or  any  of  their  privity,  censent,  or  procurement 
shall  fell,  cut  down,  or  otherwise  destroy  any  of  the  Pine 
Trees  by  these  presents  reserved  to  us,  cur  heirs  and  suc 
cessors,  or  hereby  intended  so  to  be,  without  the  Royal 
License  of  us,  our  heirs,  or  successors,  for  so  doing  first 
had  and  obtained,  that  then,  and  in  any  of  these  cases. 


20 

this  our  present  Grant  and  everything  therein  contained 
shall  cease,  and  be  absolutely  void ;  and  the  lands  and 
premises  hereby  granted  shall  revert  to,  and  vest  in  us, 
our  heirs  and  successors,  as  if  this  our  present  Grant  had 
not  been  made ;  any  thing  herein  before  contained  to  the 
contrary  in  any-wise,  notwithstanding. 

Provided  further,  and  upon  condition,  also,  neverthe 
less,  and  we  do  hereby  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors, 
direct  and  appoint  that  this  our  present  Grant  shall  be 
registered  and  entered  on  record  within  six  month  there 
of,  in  our  vSecretary's  office  in  our  city  of  New  York,  in 
our  said  province,  in  one  of  the  books  of  Patents  there 
remaining,  and  that  a  Poquet  thereof  shall  also  be  entered 
in  our  Auditor's  Office  there,  for  our  said  Province :  and 
that  in  default  thereof,  this  our  present  Grant  shall  be 
void,  and  of  none  offect ;  any  thing  before  in  these  pres 
ents  contained  to  the  contrary  thereof,  in  any-wise,  not 
withstanding.  And  we  do,  moreover,  of  our  special  grace, 
certain  knowledge,  and  mere  motion,  consent  and  agree 
that,  this  our  present  Grant,  being  registered,  recorded, 
and  a  Doquet  thereof  made,  as  before  directed  and  ap 
pointed,  shall  be  good  and  effectual' in  the  law,  to  all  in 
tents,  constructions  and  purposes  whatever,  against  us, 
our  heirs  and  successors,  notwithstanding  any  misreciting, 
misbounding,  misnaming  or  other  imperfection  or  omis 
sion  of,  in,  or  in  any-wise  concerning,  the  above  granted, 
or  hereby  mentioned  or  intended  to  be  granted,  lands, 
tenements,  hereditaments  and  premises,  or  any  part  thereof. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  We  have  caused  our  Letters  to 
be  made  Patent,  and  the  Great  Seal  of  our  said  rre- 
vince  to  be  thereunto  affixed. 

WITNESS  our  said  trusty  and  well  beloved  Cacwallf'er 
Golden  Esquire,  our  said  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Ccm- 
mander  in  Chief  of  our  said  province  of  New  York  and 
the  territories  depending  thereon,  in  America,  at  our  Fort 
in  the  city  of  New  York  the  Third  dav  of  May,  in  the 


21 

year  of  our  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Sev 
enty :  and  of  our  reign  the  Tenth. 

State  of  New  York  ( 

Secretaries  Office       j 

I  hereby  Certify  the  preceeding 

to  be  a  true  copy  ol  Letters  Patent,  as  of  record  in  this 
Office.— July  8th, 1807. 

Ben.  Ford 

Dep.  Sec." 

By  a  deed  from  the  aforesaid  William  Smith,  of  New 
York,  to  Samuel  Sleeper,  of  Mooretown,  dated  August  14, 
1770,  and  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  county 
of  Gloucester,  subsequently  Orange,  December  31,  1770, 
it  appears  that  the  twenty-four  grantees  who  wore  asso 
ciated  with  the  said  William  Smith,  whose  names  are 
given  in  the  above  recited  Royal  Grant,  or  Charter,  did, 
on  the  30th  arid  31st  day  of  May  in  the  same  year,  by  a 
certain  Indenture  of  Lease  and  Release,  convey  and  con 
firm  to  him,  the  said  Smith,  all  their  rights  and  titles  to 
the  lands,  and  everything  pertaining  thereto  in  the  said 
Mooretown — and  that,  in  accordance  with  a  request  from, 
and  agreement  with,  the  settlers  on  the  said  tract,  or  par- 
cjl  of  land,  made  in  writing,  before  the  Royal  Charter  was 
obtained,  and  with  a  view  to  secure  to  them  their  respec 
tive  rights,  the  said  Smith  did,  August  14,  1770,  by  an 
i4  Indenture  of  Lease  and  Release/'  convey  arid  confirm 
to  Samuel  ^leeper  all  his  right  and  title  to  certain  tracts 
or  sections  of  land,  which  are  particularly  described,  ly 
ing  along  on  Connecticut  River,  eight  in  number,  not  ad 
joining  each  other,  but  in  alternate  sections,  and  reaching 
back  from  said  river  about  one  mile  and  a  half,  on  an  av 
erage,  the  same  to  contain,  in  the  whole,  three  thousand 
acres,  more  or  less.  The  settlers  were  then  sparsely  located, 
along  near  the  river,  most  of  them ;  and  this  deed,  in  ac 
cordance  with,  their  agreement  with  Sleeper,  one  of  their 
number,  was  given  to  secure  to  them  their  claims  to  the 


22 

lands  on  which  they  had,  without  any  authority,  made 
settlements.  It  is  obvious  that  in  the  transaction  Smith 
kept  a  sharp  look-out  to  his  personal  interest,  in  the  way 
of  lands, 'and  especially  water  privileges.  By  the  way, 
this  is  the  traet  of  three  thousand  acres  lying  in  Moore- 
town,  on  Connecticut  River,  which  Thompson's  Vermont 
Gazzetteer — erroneously — tells  us  was  granted  by  the 
State  of  New  York  to  Sir  Harry  Moore,  and  by  him  con 
veyed  to  thirty  settlers.  It  does  not  appear  that  Sir 
Harry  Moore  ever  had  any  interest  in  the  matter. 

The  following  is  a  certified  copy  of  the  Deed,  or  as  it 
was  called,  "  Indenture  of  Lease  and  Release,"  from  Wil 
liam  Smith  to  .Samuel  Sleeper,  with  a  view  to  quiet  the 
thirty  first  settlers  in  their  possessions.  As  it  Avas  at  the 
time  a  very  important  document,  and  somewhat  curious 
in  its  specifications,  we  give  it  entire. 

11  DEED     FROM    WILLIAM    SMITH,     ESQ.,    TO     SAMUEL    SLEEPER, 
ESQ. 3,000    ACRES. 


"  This  Indenture,  made  the  Fourteenth  day  of  August, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  One.  Thousand  Seven  Hundred 
and  and  Seventy,  Between  the  Honorable  William  Smith, 
Esq.,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  Party  of  the  first  part, 
and  Samuel  Sleeper,  Esq.,  of  Mooretown,  County  of  Glou 
cester,  Party  of  the  second  part ;  Whereas  our  Sovereign 
Lord,  King  George  the  Third,  by  his  Letters  Patent, 
dated  at  Fort  George,  in  the  city  of  New  Yrork,  on  the 
Third  day  of  May,  in  the  said  year  of  our  Lord,  One 
Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy,  did  grant  unto 
the  said  William  Smith  and  Twenty-lour  other  persons, 
therein  named,  all  that  certain  tract  or  parcel  of  land,  in 
the  Provincee  of  New  Y^ork,  situate,  lying  and  being  on 
the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River  in  the  said  county  of 
Gloucester.  Beginning  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  at  a 
White  Pine  Tree,  blazed  and  marked  for  the  Northeast 


corner  of  a  Tract  of  land  known  by  the  name  of  Fairlee, 
and  runs  thence,  North  sixty-one   degrees   West,   Five 
Hundred  and  ninety  chains ;  then  North,  Thirty-two  de 
grees  East,  Five   Hundred   and   Twenty   Chains ;    then 
South,  Fifty-nine  degrees  East,  Five  Hundred  Chains,  to 
the  river,  then  down  the  river,  as  it  winds  and  turns,  to 
the  place  where  the  Tract  first  began ;  containing  Twen 
ty-five  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  the  usual  allowances 
for  highways — To  Have  and  to  Hold  one  equal  Twenty  - 
fifth  part  thereof;  the  whole,  in  Twenty-five  parts  to  be 
divided  unto  each  of  the  said  Grantees,  their  heirs  and 
assigns,  as  Termants  in  common ;  and  to  hold  the  same  of 
our  said  Lord,  the  King,  his  heirs  and  successors,  in  free 
and  common  Socage,  and  upon  the  terms  mentioned  in  the 
said  Letters  Patent,  as  by  the  same,  reference  thereto  be 
ing  had,  may  more  fully  appear;  and  whereas  by  Indent 
ures  of  Lease  and  Release,  dated  repectively  the  Thirtieth 
and  Thirty-first  day  of  May,  in  the  same  year  of  our  Lord 
One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy,  the  several 
Twenty-four  other  Grantees,  in  the  same  Patent  named, 
did  convey  their  several  parts,  shares,  and  proprieties,  to 
the  said  William  Smith,  to  hold  the  same,  to  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  in  fee,  as  by  the  said  Indenture  of  Lease 
and  Release,  reference  thereto  being  had,  may  more  fully 
appear,  by  virtue  of  which  Letters  Patent  and  Indenture, 
he  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  is  now  seized  in  fee  of 
all  that  Tract  of  Land  by  the  same  Letters  Patent  granted, 
and  hereinbefore  described,  Now,  Therefore,  This  Indent 
ure  Witnesseth,  That,  the  said  William  Smith,  for  diverse 
good  causes  and  considerations,  him  thereunto  moving, 
and  in  full  completion  of  an  agreement  made  previous  to 
the  issuing  of  the  same  Letters  Patent,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  settlers  on  the  said  Tract,  and  at  their  request,  signi 
fied  in  writing,  under  their  hands,  and  for  the  sum  of  Ten 
Shillings,  lawful  money,  to  him  in  hand  paid  by  the  said 
Samuel  Sleeper,  as  is  hereby  acknowledged,  hath  granted, 


24 

bargained  and  sold,  aliened,  released  and  confirmed,  and 
hereby  doth  clearly  and  absolutely  grant,  bargain  and  sell, 
alien,  release  and  confirm  unto  him,  the  said  Samuel  (in 
his  actual  possession,  by  virtue  of  a  bargain  and  sale  for 
one  year,  to  him  thereof,  made  by  Indenture,  dated  yes 
terday,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  statute,  for  the  trans 
ferring  of  uses  into  possession,)  his  heirs  and  assigns  for 
ever,  all  those  several  lots,  pieces  or  parcels  of  land  here 
inafter  more  fully  described,  being  part  of  the  land  above 
mentioned,  and  said  lots  in  one  certain  map  thereof  made 
and  hereunto  affixed,  and  known  and  distinguished  by 
Lots,  number  One,  Two,  Three,  Four,  Five,  Six,  Seven, 
and  Eight,  and  respectively  butted  and  bounded  as  fol 
lows,  To- wit : 

Lot  1st,  510  acres,  "  The  first  of  the  said  lots,  or  Num 
ber  One,  begins  at  a  marked  White  Pine  Tree  standing 
on  the  West  bank  of  Connecticut  River,  about  forty-nine 
chains  and  an  half  distant,  on  a  straight  line  from  the 
mouth  of  Hall's  Brook,  which  empties  into  the  said  River; 
thence  North,  fifty-nine  degrees  West,  one  hundred  and 
forty-eight  chains ;  thence,  South,  thirty-one  degrees 
West,  thirty  chains ;  thence  South,  fifty-nine  degrees 
East,  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  chains,  to  the  West 
bank  of  the  said  River,  as  it  winds  and  turns,  to  the  place 
of  beginning ;  and  contains  five  hundred  and  ten  acres." 

Lot  2d,  299  acres,  "  The  second  of  the  said  lots,  or 
Number  Two,  begins,  ten  chains  distant  from  the  South 
west  corner  of  lot  number  one,  on  a  course  South,  thirty- 
one  degrees  West,  and  runs  thence  South,  thirty-one  de 
grees  West,  twenty-five  chains  and  fifty  links;  thence 
South  fifty-nine  degrees  East,  one  hundred  and  seventeen 
chains,  to  the  said  West  bank  of  Connecticut  River ; 
thence  along  the  same  as  it  winds  and  turns,  to  the  in 
tersection  of  a  line  South  fifty -nine-  degrees  East,  from 
the  place  of  beginning  on  the  south  side  of  HalPs  Brook, 
thence  North  fifty-nine  degrees  West,  one  hundred  and 


25 

twenty  chains,  to  the  place  of  beginning ;  and  contains 
two  hundred  and  ninety-nine  acres." 

Lot  3d,  389  acres,  "  The  third  of  said  lots,  or  Number 
Three,  begins  twelve  chains  distant  from  the  Southwest 
corner  of  lot  number  two,  on  a  course  South,  thirty-one 
degrees  West,  and  runs  thence,  in  the  same  course,  twen 
ty-nine  chains,  thence  South  fifty-nine  degrees  East,  one 
hundred  and  seven  chains,  to  the  said  bank  of  Connecti 
cut  .River ;  then  along  the  same  as  it  winds  arid  turns,  to 
the  intersection  of  a  line  South,  fifty -nine  degrees  East, 
from  the  place  of  beginning ;  thence  North  fifty-nine  de 
grees  West,  to  the  place  of  beginning;  and  containing 
three  hundred  arid  eighty-nine  acres  of  land." 

Lot  4th,  842  acres,  "  The  fourth  of  the  said  lots,  or 
Number  Four,  begins  twenty-four  chains  distant  from  the 
Southwest  corner  of  lot  number  three,  on  a  course  South, 
thirty-one  degrees  West ;  and  runs  thence  on  the  same 
course  seventy-four  chains;  thence  South  fifty-nine  de 
grees  East,  one  hundred  chains,  to  the  said  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  River ;  thence  along  the  same  as  it  winds 
and  turns,  to  the  intersection  of  a  line  South,  fifty-nine 
degrees  East,  from  the  place  of  beginning ;  thence  North 
fifty-nine  degrees  West,  one  hundred  and  nine  chains,  to 
the  place  of  beginning ;  and  contains  eight  hundred  and 
forty-two  acres." 

Lot  5th,  73  acres,  "The  fifth  lot,  or  Number  Five,  be 
gins  twenty-three  chains  distant  from  the  Southwest  cor 
ner  of  lot  number  four,  on  a  course  South  thirty-one  de 
grees  West,  and  runs  thence  on  the  same  course  fourteen 
chains  and  fifty  links ;  thence  South  fifty-nine  degrees 
East,  sixty  chains  to  the  West  bank  of  Wait's  River ; 
thence  down  along  the  northerly  side  of  the  same,  as  it 
winds  and  turns,  to  the  intersection  of  a  line  South,  and 
fifty-nine  degrees  East,  from  the  place  of  beginning ;  con 
taining  seventy-three  acres." 

Lot  6th,  329  acres,  "  The  sixth  of  said  lots,  or  Number 


26 

Six,  begins  eleven  chains  and  fifty  links  from  the  South 
west  corner  of  lot  number  five,  on  a  course  South,  thirty  - 
one  degrees  West,  and  runs  thence  on  the  same  course 
twenty-six  chains ;  thence  South  fifty-nine  degrees  East, 
one  hundred  and  thirty  chains,  to  the  said  west  bank  of 
Connecticut  River ;  thence  along  the  said  river,  as  it 
winds  and  turns,  to  the  intersection  of  a  line  South  fifty- 
nine  degrees  West,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  chains 
from  the  place  of  beginning ;  thence  North  fifty-nine  de 
grees  West,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  chains  to  the 
place  of  beginning  and  contains  three  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  acres." 

Lot  7th,  280  acres,  "  The  seventh  of  said  lots,  or  Num 
ber  Seven,  begins  fifteen  chains  and  fifty  links  distant 
from  the  Southwest  corner  of  lot  number  six,  on  a  course 
South,  thirty-one  degrees  West,  and  runs  thence  on  the 
same  course  twenty  chains ;  thence  South,  fifty-nine  de 
grees  East,  one  hundred  and  forty-two  chains,  to  the  said 
West  bank  of  Connecticut  River ;  thence  along  the  same 
as  it  winds  and  turns,  to  the  intersection  of  a  line  South, 
fifty-nine  degrees  East,  from  the  place  of  beginning ; 
thence  North,  fifty-nine  degrees  West,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  chains  and  fifty  links,  to  the  place  of  begin 
ning  ;  and  contains  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres." 

Lot  8th,  303  acres,  "  The  eighth  of  the  said  lots,  or 
Number  Eight,  begins  twenty-seven  chains  distant  from 
the  Southwest  corner  of  lot  number  seven,  on  a  course 
South,  thirty-one  degrees  West,  and  runs  thence  on  the 
same  course  fifteen  chains ;  thence  South  fifty-nine  de 
grees  East,  four  hundred  and  six  chains  arid  fifty  links,  to 
the  said  West  bank  of  the  said  Connecticut  River  ;  thence 
along  the  same,  as  it  winds  and  turns,  to  the  intersection 
of  a  line  South  fifty-nine  degrees  East,  from  the  place  of 
beginning;  thence  North  fifty-nine  degrees  West,  two 
hundred  and  forty-eight  chains  to  the  place  of  beginning; 
and  contains  three  hundred  and  three  acres. 


27 

And  also,  All  that  one  equal  and  individual  moiety,  or 
half  part  of  land  to  be  laid  out  in  a  square  on  both'  sides 
of  the  said  Wait's  River,  the  middle  Easterly  side  where 
of  is  to  be  eight  rods  below  that  fall  in  the  said  river 
which  is  nearest  to  the  mouth  thereof;  and  also  all  those 
spots  of  ground  upon  which  a  Grist-mill  and  Saw-mill  now 
are,  or  may  be,  or  are  intended  to  be  erected,  nearest  to 
the  foot  of  the  said  fall ;  And  also,  all  that  spot  of  ground 
in  the  said  Wait's  River  necessarily  used,  or  to  be  used 
in  the  construction  of  one  dam,  across  the  said  river  for 
the  use  of  the  said  mills,  and  all  houses,  buildings,  orch 
ards,  gardens,  land-meadows,  commons,  pasture-feedings, 
trees,  woods,  underwoods,  ways,  paths,  waters,  water 
courses,  enjoyments,  profits,  accommodations,  advantages, 
emoluments  and  hereditaments  whatsoever,  to  the  several 
lots  and  parcels  of  land  above  granted,  belonging,  or  any 
wise  appertaining,  or  which  now  are,  or  formerly  have 
been,  accepted,  reputed,  taken,  known,  used,  occupied,  or 
enjoyed,  to,  or  with,  the  same,  or  as  part  or  parcel  or  num 
ber  thereof,  or  of  any  part  thereof;  and  the  reversions 
and  remissions,  remainder  and  remainders,  rents,  issues, 
and  services  thereof,  and  of  every  part  thereof,  with  the 
appurtenances — saving  and  accepting  to  the  said  William 
Smith,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  out  of  this  grant  and 
conveyance,  such  part  of  the  fall  on  Wait's  River  afore 
said  [as  is  or  shall  be]  "  fit  for  one  Grist-mill  and  one  Saw 
mill,  to  be  erected  by  the  said  William  Smith,  his  heirs 
and  assigns,  other  than  the  spot  above  granted  to  the  said 
Samuel  Sleeper  for  one  Grist-mill  and  one  Saw-mill,  situ 
ate,  or  to  be  situated,  as  aforesaid ;  and  saving  and  ex 
cepting  also,  so  much  of  the  ground  on  the  said  Wait's 
River  necessarily  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  a 
dam  across  the  said  river,  for  the  use  of  the  said  Grist 
mill,  as  to  be  located  at  the  election  of  the  said  William 
Smith,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  with  free  liberty  of  passing 
and  re -passing  to  the  same,  by  the  said  William  Smith, 


28 

his  heirs  and  assigns,  and  all  other  persons  whatsoever ; 
To  have  and  to  hold  all  and  singular  the  premises  hereby 
granted,  or  intended  to  be  granted,  with  the  appurtenan 
ces,  excepting  as  before  is  excepted,  unto  the  said  Samuel 
Sleeper,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever ;  provided  always, 
and  these  presents  are  upon  this  express  condition,  that 
the  said  Grist-mill  and  Saw-mill  and  dam,  hereby  granted, 
are  erected  and  situated,  or  shall  when  erected  be  situa 
ted  as  aforesaid ;  nearest  to  the  foot  of  the  said  fall ;  and 
provided  also,  if  there  be  not  room  and  convenience  on 
the  said  fall  for  the  erection  of  one  or  more  other  Grist 
mills  and  Saw-mills  and  dams,  than  the  said  Grist-mill  and 
Saw-mill  and  darn,  hereby  granted,  then  so  much  of  this 
present  indenture  as  grants  and  conveys  to  the  said  Sam 
uel  Sleeper,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  places  and  spots  for  one 
Grist-mill  and  Saw-mill  and  one  dam,  shall  be  absolutely 
null  and  void,  any  thing  in  the  presents  contained,  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.'7 

"  In  witness  whereof  the  parties  to  these  presents  have 
hereunto  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  seals,  on  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written. 

WM.  SMITH,  j 

Witness,  Gov.  MORRIS, 
STEPHEN  LUSK, 
SAMUEL  WELLS. 


"  Province  of 

New  York,  SS.  f  Be  it  remembered  that,  on  the  Fif 
teenth  day  of  August,  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and 
Seventy,  personally  came  and  appeared  before  me,  John 
Watts,  Esquire,  one  of  His  Majesty's  council  for  the  Pro 
vince  of  New  York,  Samuel  Wells,  one  of  the  subscribing 
witnesses  to  the  written  deed,  who  being  by  me  duly 
sworn,  did  depose  and  say  that  he  saw  the  written  Grant 
or,  the  Honorable  William  Smith,  Enquire,  seal  and  deliver 


29 

the  written  indenture  of  release,  as  his  voluntary  act  and 
deed ;  for  the  use  therein  mentioned ;  and  that  this  de 
ponent  and  the  other  witnesses,  Governor  Morris  and  Ste 
phen  Lusk,  signed  their  names  thereunto ;  and  I  have  in 
spected  the  same,  and  finding  no  material  erasures  or  in 
terlineations  save  those  that  are  noted  to  have  been  made 
before  the  signing  and  sealing  thereof,  I  do  allow  the  same 
to  be  recorded.  JOHN  WATTS, 

Gloucester  County,      )  ^ 

Province  of  New  York,  f  k 

December  31,  One  Thousand 

Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy,  the  above  was  ordered,  by 
me,  JOHN  PETERS,  Clerk." 

The  early  settlers,  twenty-two  in  number,  being  thus 
virtually  made  safe  in  their  possessions,  entered,  March 
18,  1771,  into  a  covenant  with  Ebenezer  Martin,  Jesse 
McFarland,  and  Hezekiah  Silloway,  all  of  the  said  town, 
in  the  County  of  Gloucester  and  Province  of  New  York, 
that  the  said  committee  should  make  to  the  said  settlers 
such  distribution  of  the  three  thousand  acres  of  land 
which  they  in  common  drained,  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
committee,  should  be  just  and  equitable  ;  and  the  settlers, 
on  their  part,  jointly  and  severally  bound  themselves, 
their  heirs,  executors,  administrators,  attorney  or  attor 
neys,  to  the  said  Martin  and  his  associates,  under  a  pen 
alty  of  ten  thousand  pounds,  lawful  currency,  to  abide  by 
the  decision  in  each  case.  This  bond  was  signed  by  the 
names  following :  David  Thompson,  John  Martin,  James 
Aikin,  Benjamin  Jenkins,  William  Thompson,  Samuel  Mc- 
Dutfee,  Samuel  Gault,  Ephraim  Collins,  Matthew  Miller, 
Nathaniel  Martin,  Amos  Davis,  Obadiah  Saunders,  Jona 
than  Martin,  William  Bell,  Ephriam  Martin,  Samuel  Thomp 
son,  David  Kennedy,  David  Davis,  Samuel  Miller,  John 
Sawyer,  Hannah  Sleeper,  and  Hugh  Miller. 

Such  was  the  Royal  Charter  of,  and  some  of  the  earli 
est  official  transactions  in  regard  to  Mooretown ;  or,  as 


30 

both  its  inhabitants  and  the  General  Assembly  of  Ver 
mont  subsequently,  but  erroneously  insisted  on  calling  it, 
Moretown.  The  original  name  was,  beyond  doubt,  given 
it  in  honor  of  Sir  Henry  Moore,  Baronet,  and  from  1765 
to  1769,  Captain  General'  and  Governor  in  Chief,  in  and 
over  the  Province  of  New  York.  But  in  accordance  with 
the  request  of  its  inhabitants  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
Vermont,  then  in  session  at  Manchester,  its  name  was 
changed,  October  23,  1788,  as  follows  : 

"  It  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Vermont,  That  the  name  of  the  township  of 
Moretown,  in  the  County  of  Orange,  be  forever  hereafter 
known  by  the  name  of  Bradford :  And  that  it  is  hereby 
provided  that,  whenever  an  advertisement  respecting  said 
Township  shall  be  published,  within  three  years  from  the 
passing  of  this  act,  it  shall  be  called  l  Bradford,  heretofore 
known  by  the  name  of  Mooretown,  in  Orange  County. '" 
See  M.  S.  Laws  of  Vermont,  1787,  to  1792;  Vol.  ii,  p 
260. 

Probably  the  name  Bradford  was  suggested  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  near  vicinity  of  Newbury  and  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  there  was,  and  still  is,  a  highly  respectable  town, 
named  Bradford.  For  apparently  a  similar  reason  this 
township  was,  for  a  while,  called  Salem,  as  appears  from 
a  deed  given,  and  a  road  survey  made  and  recorded  in 
1786.  The  first  name  of  all  was  "Wait's  River  Town," 
or  "  Waitstown ;"  at  which  place  a  petition,  signed  by 
Samuel  Hale,  John  Peters,  and  others,  was  dated  May  21, 
1770. 

A  grant  of  the  Township  of  Bradford  to  Israel  Smith 
and  others,  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont. 

An  act  making  a  grant  of  the  Township  of  Bradford, 
alias  Moretown,  to  Israel  Smith,  Alexander  Harvey,  and 
James  Whitelaw,  Esquires, as  a  committee  intrust, for  the 
purposes  in  said  act  specified,  passed  Jan.  25,  1791,  at 
Bennington7  is  as  follows  : 


31 

"  It  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Vermont, 

"  That  there  be,  and  hereby  is,  granted  to  Israel  Smith, 
Esq.,  of  Thetford,  Alexander  Harvey,  Esq.,  of  Barnet,  and 
James  Whitelaw,  Esq.,  of  Ryegate,  all  in  the  County  of 
Orange  and  State  of  Vermont,  all  that  tract  or  parcel  of 
land  known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Bradford, 
bounded,  South  on  Fairlee,  West  on  Corinth,  North  on 
Newbury,  arid  East  on  Connecticut  River ;  to  be  held  by 
the  said  Israel,  Alexander  and  James,  in  trust,  for  the  pur 
pose  hereafter  mentioned.  And 

It  is  hereby  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid 
that,  the  said  Israel  Smith,  Alexander  Harvey,  and  James 
Whitelaw  be,  and  they  are  hereby  made,  a  Committee  of 
Trust,  and  also  constituted  a  Board  to  hear,  and  according 
to  equity  and  good  conscience  to  try  and  determine  the 
several  claims  of  the  settlers,  inhabitants,  and  claimants 
in  and  to  said  township,  and  that  it  be  the  duty  of  said 
committee,  in  their  discretion,  to  appoint  a  time  or  times, 
and  place  or  places,  for  the  hearing  of  the  said  several 
claims  to  said  land ;  and  to  give  public  notice  thereof  to 
the  said  claimants  to,  and  settlers  on,  said  land ;  and,  on 
any  person  or  persons,  claimants  to  and  settlers  on  said 
land,  making  it  appear  to  said  committee  that  he  or  they 
have  an  equitable  claim  to  said  lands,  or  any  part  there 
of,  in  exclusion  of  all  others,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said 
committee,  on  such  person  or  persons  making  out  his  or 
their  claim,  as  aforesaid,  and  paying  into  the  hands  of  said 
committee,  for  the  use  of  the  State,  Nine  Pence,  lawful 
money,  in  silver  or  gold,  per  acre,  for  each  acre  he  shall 
vindicate  his  claim  to,  as  aforesaid,  thereupon  to  eke  unto 
such  person  or  persons,  a  Quitclaim  Deed  of  conveyance 
to  such  lands :  always  giving  preference  to  the  actual 
settlers  on  such  lands.  Provided,  nevertheless,  that  said 
committee  shall  reserve  Four  Thousand  Acres  of  said 
land,  on  the  westerly  side  of  said  Town,  as  laid  out  by 


32 

General  Moses  Hazen  ;  three  hundred  acres  of  which,  be 
ing  part  of  said  four  thousand  acres,  shall  be  reserved  for 
the  use  and  benefit  of  a  school,  in  said  town :  and  three 
hundred  acres  more,  being  part  of  the  said  four  thousand 
acres,  for  the  benefit  of  a  minister,  or  ministers,  to  be  set 
tled  in  said  town  ;  which  shall  be  laid  out  by  said  commit 
tee  or  their  order,  in  such  part  of  said  four  thousand 
as  they  shall  judge  most  equitable  and  just ;  and  shall  be 
by  the  said  committee  ;deeded  to  said  Town  for  the  afore 
said  purposes,  free  of  expense  or  pay  for  said  land.  And 
three  thousand,  four  hundred  acres,  being  the  remaining 
part  of  said  four  thousand  acres,  shall  be  reserved  for  the 
said  General  Moses  Hazen ;  and  on  his  paying,  or  causing 
to  be  paid,  into  the  hands  of  the  said  committee,  for  the 
use  of  this  State,  the  sum  of  Two  shillings,  lawful  money, 
in  silver  or  gold,  for  each  of  the  said  three  thousand  four 
hundred  acres,  remaining  as  aforesaid,  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  said  committee  to  deed  the  same  to  the  said  Hazen 
by  quit-claim,  as  aforesaid  ;  and  to  no  other  person  or  per 
sons,  or  on  any  other  terms  whatsoever. 

Provided  also,  That  in  case  the  said  Moses  Hazen  shall 
not  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  into  the  hands  of  the  said  com 
mittee  said  sum  of  two  shillings,  lawful  money,  in  silver 
or  gold,  for  each  acre  of  the  three  thousand  four  hundred 
acres  named  as  aforesaid,  by  the  rising  of  the  Assembly 
of  this  State  in  October  next,  or  in  case  any  o-r  all  of  the 
settlers,  or  claimants  to  said  lands,  exclusive  of  said  four 
thousand  acres,  shall  not  pay  into  the  hands  of  said  com 
mittee,  by  the  First  day  of  April,  A.  IX  1792,  the  said 
sum  of  nine  pence  per  acre,  for  each  acre  they  -claim,  as 
aforesaid,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  committee  to  pro 
ceed  to  advertise  said  lands  for  sale ;  or  any  part  thereof 
that  shall  so  remain  unpaid  for,  in  the  Vermont  Journal ; 
and  shall  thereupon  proceed  to  sell,  at  public  vendue,  to 
the  highest  bidder,  all,  or  any  part  of  said  lands,  so  re 
maining  unpaid  for :  and  shall  be  accountable  to  the  Treas- 


33 

urer  of  this  State  for  all  the  monies  they  receive  for  said 
lands.  And  it  is  further  enacted  that  said  committee,  be 
fore  they  proceed  on  the  business  of  their  appointment, 
enter  into  a  bond  of  Two  Thousand  Pounds  to  the  Treas 
urer  of  this  State,  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  trust. 

See  M.  S.  Laws  of  Vermont,  Vol.  ii,  p  363. 

Roads  at  public  expense.  In  the  years  1784  and  1786, 
as  John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  states  in  his  manuscript  already 
mentioned,  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  and  at  the  expense 
of  the  State,  a  road  was  cut  out,  under  the  direction  of 
General  Allen,  from  the  falls  in  Wait's  River,  where  Brad 
ford  village  is  now  located,  by  the  most  feasible  route  to 
Onion  or  Winooski  River;  and  thence  to  Burlington: 
which  is  one  of  the  most  direct  and  eligible  highways 
from  Connecticut  River  to  Lake  Champlain :  and  which 
was  for  many  years  occupied  as  a  stage  route.  The  course 
was  almost  the  same  as  that  now  in  use  as  the  most 
direct  stage  route  from  Bradford  to  Montpelier,  and  is 
thence  taken  by  the  Central  Vermont  Railroad,  to  Bur 
lington. 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  at  Manchester,  Oc 
tober  26,  1789,  a  tax  of  one  penny  on  every  acre  of  land 
in  Bradford,  (public  rights  excepted)  was  assessed,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  highways  and  bridges  in  said  town. 

The  grant  of  this  Township,  made  in  trust,  to  Smith, 
Harvey  and  Whitelaw,  having  failed  to  settle  all  matters 
of  difficulty  among  the  inhabitants,  especially  among  those 
on  the  Hazen  tract,  further  legislation  was  demanded,  and 
an  act,  entitled,  An  act  for  the  purpose  of  quieting  the 
settlers  on  a  certain  tract  of  land  in  the  western  part  of 
Bradford,  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  at  Rut 
land,  November  6,  1792,  as  follows : 

"  Whereas  the  Legislature  of  this  State,  at  their  session 
in  Bennington,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  One  TJiousand 
Seven  Hundred  and  ninety-one,  passed  an  act  granting 
the  Township  of  Bradford  to  Israel  Smith,  Alexander 


34 

Harvey,  and  James  Whitelaw,  Esquires,  upon  certain  con 
ditions,  and  restrictions,  therein  expressed ;  and.  Where 
as,  a  tract  of  land  of  three  thousand  four  hundred  acres 
of  land  lying  in  the  western  part  of  said  Township  was 
by  said  grant  reserved  for  General  Moses  Hazen,  with 
the  following  condition,  viz :  that  the  said  Moses  Hazen 
should  pay  into  the  hands  of  the  before  named  grantees, 
as  a  committee  for  that  purpose,  for  the  use  of  this  State, 
the  sum  of  two  shillings  for  each  acre  of  land  contained 
in  said  tract, 'and  that  the  same  should  be  paid  by  the  ris 
ing  of  the  General  Assembly  in  October  next ;  and  that 
if  the  said  Moses  should  not  make  part  payment,  that  then 
the  before  named  committee  should  proceed  to  sell  the 
said  tract  of  land,  at  public  vendue — And,  Whereas  the 
said  Moses  has  failed  to  fulfill  the  condition  of  said  grant, 
arid  the  said  tract  of  land  is  now  advertised  for  sale, 
agreeably  to  the  direction  of  the  said  act;  and  it  being 
now  made  to  appear  to  this  Asssembly  that  there  are  a 
number  of  settlers  who  have  made  considerable  improve 
ment  on  the  said  tract  of  land,  who  will  be  greatly  injured 
by  the  sale  thereof; 

"  Therefore,  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  General  As 
sembly  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  that  the  said  Israel  Smith, 
Alexander  Harvey,  and  James  Whitelaw  be,  and  they  are 
hereby,  directed  to  notify  to  the  said  settlers  living  on 
said  tract  of  land,  by  setting  up  one  advertisement,  and 
one  other  advertisement  on  the  Sign  Post  in  the  said 
town,  at  least  one  fortnight  before  the  time  of  their 
meeting,  notifying  the  said  settlers  to  appear  and  state 
their  claims  to  said  committee ;  and  the  said  committee 
shall  then  proceed  to  deed  to  such  persons  as  appear 
actually  to  be  settled  and  making  improvements  on  said 
tract  of  land,  the  land  on  which  they  live,  not  exceeding 
one  hundred  acres  to  each  settler ;  upon  their  paying 
into  the  hand  of  such  committee,  for  the  use  of  this 
State,  the  sum  of  two  shillings  for  each  acre  of  land 


35 

so  deeded ; — and  their  proportion  of  the  necessary  ex 
pense  of  said  committee. 

"  And  it  is  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
that  all  the  remainder  and  residue  of  said  tract  of  three 
thousand  four  hundred  acres  which  shall  not  be  deeded  to 
the  settlers  as  aforesaid,  shall,  by  the  said  committee,  be 
deeded  to  JOHN  BARRON,  of  said  Bradford,  upon  his  pay 
ing  into  the  hands  of  said  committee,  for  the  use  of  this 
State,  the  sum  of  two  shillings  for  each  acre  of  land  so 
deeded  to  him,  and  his  proportion  of  the  necessary  ex 
pense  of  said  committee ; 

"  Provided,  always,  that  no  deed  shall  be  made  of  this 
land  in  pursuance  of  this  act,  unless  all  the  money,  for  the 
whole  of  the  aforesaid  tract,  shall  be  paid  into  the  hands 
of  the  aforesaid  committee,  before  the  first  day  of  June 
next," 

See  M.  S.  Laws  of  Vermont,  1787  to  1.792  ;  vol.  ii,  p.  453. 

In  accordance  with  this  legislative  enactment,  the  anx 
ious  settlers  on  lands  to  which  they  before  had  no  legal 
claims,  were  quieted  ;  valid  titles  to  lots  unoccupied  given 
to  those  who  were  wishing  to  possess  them ;  and  the  gen 
eral  settlement  of  the  Township  accomplished.  How  the 
three  hundred  acres  appropriated  to  the  first  settled  min 
ister  or  ministers,  and  the  like  amount  for  the  support  of 
schools,  were  finally  disposed  of,  we  shall  see  when  we 
come  to  look  into  the  state  of  ecclesiastical  and  educa 
tional  matters. 

The  physical  topography  of  this  township  is,  in  the 
main,  like  that  of  most  others  in  the  Connecticut  valley. 
The  climate  in  the  course  of  each  year  varying  from  the 
piercing  cold  of  Winter,  to  the  intense  heat  of  Summer, 
with  all  degrees  of  intermediate  alternations  ;  the  rich  in 
tervales,  with  their  annual  inundations ;  the  high  lands, 
easily  cultivated,  and  good  alike  for  grass  or  grain;  the 
tracts  of  forests,  charminglv  variegated  with  birch,  beech, 
elm,  maple,  and  evergreen  trees,  now  too  rapidly  disap- 


36 

pearing ;  the  various  productions  which  richly  reward  the 
cultivator's  toil ;  the  argillaceous  ledges  here  and  there 
cropping  out,  and  offering  abundant  material  for  cellar 
walls  and  the  underpinning  of  houses ;  the  inexhaustible 
stores  of  clay  and  sand  of  the  best  quality  for  the  making 
of  brick,  to  be  used  in  the  erection  of  buildings ;  and  the 
unfailing  water- privileges  with  which  the  town  is  blessed ; 
all  combine  to  give  animation,  courage,  and  energy,  to  its 
enterprising  population.  From  some  of  the  high  places 
in  this  town  the  prospect  on  all  sides,  but  especially  as 
one  looks  away  to  the  East  on  the  mountains  of  New 
Hampshire,  throwing  back  in  a  flood  of  glory  the  beams 
of  the  declining  sun,  is  not  only  surpassingly  beautiful, 
but  truly  sublime.  An  admired  American  author,  who  had 
then  recently  returned  from  a  tour  in  Europe,  while  sit 
ting  in  his  carriage  and  contemplating  this  scenery,  re 
marked  that  he  had  never  seen  anything  of  this  nature 
either  in  England  or  France,  which  seemed  to  him  so 
charming. 

A  well  informed  resident  of  the  town,  more  than  twen 
ty-five  years  ago  remarked  that  there  were  not  more  than 
two  one  hundred  acre  lots  within  its  limits  which  were 
not  cultivated,  and  that  these  were  on  Wright's  Mountain; 
and  further,  that  even  on  that  mountain  there  were  not 
more  than  twenty  or  thirty  acres  which  might  not  be  im 
proved  as  pasturage  or  woodland. 

The  small  mountain  just  mentioned,  occupies  the  north 
western  corner  of  Bradford,  and  its  summit,  according  to 
Horace  G.  McDuffee's  measurement,  is  about  seventeen 
hundred  feet  above  Connecticut  River,  some  three  or  four 
miles  distant,  towards  the  East,  and  two  thousand  one 
hundred  above  tide  water.  The  sides  of  the  mountain, 
West  and  South,  are  precipitous,  consisting  of  almost  per 
pendicular  ledges  of  argillaceous  slate,  from  which,  espec 
ially  on  the  South  side,  where  there  is  a  deep  ravine,  huge 
fragments  of  rock  in  ages  past  have  fallen  down,  one  on 


37 

another,  forming  various  cavities,  the  largest  of  which  has 
been  called  "  Devil's  Den/'  but  most  inappropriately,  since 
that  evil  personage,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  greatly  pre 
fers  the  society  of  kindred  spirits  congregated  in  cities, 
and  even  coiintrv  villages,  above  any  such  solitary  cave 
or  den  among  wild  beasts.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  said 
that  a  singular  transaction  once  occurred  in  that-  cave, 
which  attached  to  the  mountain  the  name  which  it  still 
bears.  The  story  is,  in  substance,  this — One  of  the  ear 
liest  settlers  on  the  tract  now  called  Bradford,  was  a  re 
ligious  fanatic  by  the  name  of  Benoni  Wright,  who  con 
ceived  it  to  be  his  privilege  and  duty  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  distinguished  honor  and  service  pertaining  to  a 
prophet  of  the  Lord,  by  letting  his  beard  grow  to  a  great 
length,  and  by  keeping  a  strict  fast  of  forty  days  and 
nights  in  the  wilderness,  devoting  the  time  to  meditation 
and  fervent  prayer.  When  about  to  retire  he  prepared 
himself  with  a  leathern  girdle,  with  a  buckle  on  one  end 
and  forty-two  progressive  holes  in  the  Dther,  designing  to 
gird  himself,  day  by  day,  one  degree  closer,  as  his  size 
should  diminish.  For  this  purpose  it  is  said  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  cave  above  mentioned.  This  process 
went  on  till  the  imperious  demands  of  appetite  became 
too  strong  for  his  resolution,  and  in  the  darkness  of  night 
he  was  detected  far  away  from  his  place  of  concealment 
in  quest  of  food  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  for  if  he  stayed 
where  he  had  intended  to  remain,  he  was  convinced  he 
must  die ;  and  so  his  sanctimonious  attempt  proved  a  ri 
diculous  failure.  Still  he  immortalized  himself,  as  his 
name  has  been  permanently  attached  to  the  mountain 
which  witnessed  his  effort  so  painful  to  become  a  distin 
guished  prophet  of  the  Most  High.  Let  the  place  of  his 
retirement  be  also  called  by  his  name —  Wright's  Cave* 

*  A  carriage  road,  not  a  very  good  one,  was  once  made  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  and  two  celebrations  of  the  4th  of  July  have  been  held  there.  The 
prospect  from  that  elevation  is  truly  magnificent;  and  if  to  be  obtained  in  some 
parts  of  the  country,  less  affluent  in  beautiful  scenery,  would  be  highly  appre 
ciated  by  crowds  of  visitors. 


The  township  is  well  watered,  not  only  by  innumerable 
springs  and  rivulets  richly  refreshing  the  hill  sides,  but 
by  larger  streams.  On  its  eastern  border  flows  the  Con 
necticut  ;  through  its  northeastern  corner,  Hall's  Brook, 
from  Newbury,  passes  quietly  along ;  then  as  you  go  South, 
Roaring  Brook,  over  its  rocky  precipices  comes  dashing 
down,  to  mingle  with  the  other  at  its  confluence  with  the 
Connecticut ;  and  from  the  Southwest,  RowelPs  Brook 
makes  haste  to  reach  the  principal  stream,  which  from 
West  to  East  runs  though  the  town,  and  is  dignified  by 
the  name  of  Wait's  River.  The  two  main  branches  of 
this  stream  soon  after  entering  Bradford  unite,  and  con 
stitute  a  respectable  river,  which  at  Bradford  Center  af 
fords  a  fine  privilege  for  mills,  and,  on  pas-sing  through  a 
rocky  channel  about  a  half,  a  mile  above  its  entrance  into 
the  Connecticut,  its  course  becomes  so  swift  and  forcible 
that  three  dams,  at  a  moderate  distance  from  each  other, 
have  been  built  across  it,  affording  rare  advantages  for 
grinding,  sawing,  paper-making,  and  various  other  kinds 
of  business  requiring  water-power.  These  tails  have  con 
tributed  largely  to  the  prosperity  of  the  enterprising  and 
flourishing  village  which  has  grown  up  around  them. 

The  incidents  which  gave  name  to  this  river,  as  by  tra 
dition  received,  are  too  interesting  and  affecting  to  be 
silently  omitted.  In  the  course  of  the  old  French  war  a 
military  force  of  New  England  men,  under  command  of 
Major  Robert  Rogers,  in  the  year  1759,  was  sent  to  chas 
tise  and  subdue  the  St.  Francis  tribe  of  Indians  in  Cana 
da,  who  had  for  a  half  a  century  been  in  the  practice  of 
perpetrating  acts  of  violence  and  barbarity  on  the  colo 
nists.  These  men  of  war,  stvled  Roger's  Rangers,  on  the 
5th  of  October,  of  that  year,  struck  the  fatal  blow ;  but 
were  forced  to  commence  a  speedy  retreat  which  proved 
disastrous  to  many,  on  account  of  the  manifold  hardships 
to  which  they  were  reduced  while  traversing  the  vast 
wilderness  between  Memphremagog  lake,  on  the  border 


3!) 

of  Canada,  and  No.  4,  in  New  Hampshire.  Several,  we 
know  not  how  many  of  them,  are  said  to  have  perished  by 
absolute  starvation.  They  had  hoped  to  find  supplies  on 
reaching  the  Lower  Coos,  but  were  disappointed.  The 
men,  in  their  great  distress,  were  there  disbanded,  and 
directed  to  seek  sustenance  for  themselves,  by  hunting, 
or  in  whatever  way  they  could.  Captain  Waite,  with  a 
small  squad,  pushed  on  down  the  river,  and  within  the  dis 
tance  of  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  Avas  so  fortunate  as  to 
kill  a  deer,  which  gave  good  refreshment  to  himself  and 
In's  famishing  men ;  and  having  reserved  a  small  portion 
for  themselves,  he  hung  up  the  remainder  conspicuously 
on  a  tree,  or  trees,  for  the  relief  of  their  suffering  associ 
ates,  who  were  expected  soon  to  be  passing  that  way. 
That  there  might  be  no  misunderstanding,  he  cut  his  name, 
Waite,  on  the  bark  of  a  tree  from  which  he  had  suspend 
ed  a  portion  of  his  life-saving  venison ;  and  as  this  tree 
stood  on  the  bank  of  a  small  river,  just  above  its  union 
with  the  Connecticut,  the  grateful  men,  in  remembrance 
of  their  kind  benefactor,  called  it  Wait's  River,  by  which 
name  it  has  ever  since  been  known. 


40 


CHAPTER  II. 

Transactions  of  Early  Town  Meetings — A  list  of  Town  Clerks  and 
Representatives  from  the  First — Roads  Surveyed,  with  Distances 
from  Place' to  Place — Bridges  Built — Freshets — Army  of  Worms. 
The  first  town  meeting  of  which  any  record  has  been 
preserved,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Samuel  McDuffee,  in 
the  year  1773,  probably  in  the  Spring  of  that  year;  when 
the  requisite  officers  were  chosen,  and  the  machinery  of 
a  regular  township  was  put  in  working  order.  The  list 
of  officials  was  as  follows :  John  Peters,  Moderator ;  Stev 
ens  McConnell,  Cleric ;  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Supervisor  • 
Hugh  Miller  and  Noah  White,  Overseers  of  the  Poor  •  Ben 
jamin  Jenkins,  Treasurer ;  Jesse  McFarland,  Lieut.  Jacob 
Fowler,  and  Hezekiah  Silloway,  Surveyor  of  Highways  ; 
Hezekiah  Silloway,  Constable;  Amos  Davis,  Collector ; 
Samuel  Gault,  and  Amos  Davis,  Tythinymen. 

The  Samuel  McDuffee,  at  whose  house  this  first  town 
meeting  was  held,  was  unfortunately  drowned  in  Connect 
icut  river  in  1781.  He  was  an  uncle  of  Samuel  and  John 
McDuffee,  Esqrs.,  of  later  dates. 

The  first  deed  recorded  in  this  town,  dated  August  13, 
1773,  thus  begins  :  "Know  all  men  by  these  presents, 
that  I,  Benoni  Wright,  of  Moorstown,  so-called,  in  the 
County  of  Gloucester  and  Province  of  New  York."  This 
deed  was  made  to  Stevens  McConnell,  of  Newbury,  in  the 
same  County. 

The  next  annual  town  meeting  was  held  May  1,  1775, 
at  the  house  of  Stevens  McConnell ;  when,  in  addition  to 
the  choice  of  officers,  it  was  voted  to  expend  $300  worth 
of  labor  on  the  highways ;  allowing  each  man  4s.  6d.  per 
day  for  his  own  labor,  and  3s.  per  day  for  a  yoke  of  oxen. 
Business  of  a  warlike  nature  .  was  also  transacted.  The 
battle  of  Lexington,  Mass.,  which  decisively  opened  the 
momentous  drama  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  had  been 


41 

fought  but  a  few  days  before  ;  and  the  state  of  the 
try  had  become  alarming.     Therefore, 

Voted,  To  raise  a  Town  stock,  to  be  kept  in  the  Treas- 
urv,  of  one  pound  of  powder,  three  pounds  of  leac\,  and  a 
dozen  flints,  to  each  man  in  said  town  of  Mooretown,  from 
sixteen  years  to  eighty. 

Chose  Benjamin  Jenkins  and  Haines  Johnson,  a  commit 
tee  to  look  out,  and  procure  a  stock  of  powder,  lead,  and 
flints  as  the  above  vote  directs. 

Voted,  to  raise  three  dollars  in  cash,  as  present  expense, 
to  the  Committee  for  raising  said  stock ;  and  the  assessors 
shall,  or  may,  lay  an  assessment  on  each  man,  as  they  shall 
judge  right ;  and  the  Collector  of  said  town  of  Moore- 
town  shall,  and  is  hereby  empowered  to,  collect  each  man's 
proportion,  as  so  assigned. 

Voted  to  pay  in  wheat,  at  the  price  the  Committee  shall 
engage,  for  the  town  stock. 

May  7,  1776.  Voted  to  meet  on  the  14th  inst.  to  choose 
military  officers.  Adjourned. 

At  a  later  date.  Voted  to  raise  10  pounds,  lawful 
money,  for  the  purchase  of  powder  and  lead. 

May  29,  1777.  Voted  to  send  Bildad  Andross  and  Ben 
jamin  Baldwin  to  the  Convention  at  Windsor  to  take 
measures  for  the  organization  of  a  new  State. 

These  acts  of  the  town  indicate  the  state  of  feeling 
prevalent  among  its  earliest  inhabitants,  in  regard  to  the 
public  affairs. 

A  deed,  bearing  date  Feb.  1,  1781,  purports  to  be  from 
Joseph  Thurber,  of  Mooretown,  County  of  Cumberland, 
and  State  of  Vermont,  to  Robert  Hurikiris,  of  the  same 
County  and  State. 

Another  deed,  dated  Jan.  24,  1782,  from  Obededom 
Sanders,  of  Mooretown,  County  of  Orange,  and  State  of 
Vermont,  is  given  to  John  Simons,  of  Piermont,  in  the  same 
County  and  State,  and  the  acknowledgment  is  made  be 
fore  Thomas  Russell,  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Piermont, 
4 


42 

Orange  County,  Vt.  Here  we  see  how  unsettled  for  some 
time  were  the  names  and  civil  relations  of  this  town, 
towards  some  others  in  its  vicinity.  Piermont,  at  one 
time,  claimed  to  be  in  Vermont. 

That  domestic  police  regulations,  for  the  restraint  of 
misbehaving  boys,  men,  and  other  animals,  were  not  neg 
lected,  appears  from  the  appointment  of  tything  men  to 
keep  order  in  religious  assemblies,  a'nd  such  other  votes  as 
these: 

"  1786,  June  12th.  Voted  to  build  a  Pound,  at  the  town 
cost,  by  order  of  the  Selectmen ;  also  Stocks  and  a  Sign- 
Post."' 

This  Sign-Post  seems  to  have  answered  the  double  pur 
pose  of  holding  forth  advertisements  and  warnings  regard 
ing  public  matters,  and  of  serving  as  a  Whipping  Post  for 
the  castigation  of  criminals.  These  instruments  of  ter 
ror  to  evil-doers,  the  Stocks  and  Sign  Post,  stood  on  the 
East  side  of  the  highway,  near  where  you  now  turn  to  go 
down  to  the  stone  paper  mill ;  and  in  a  few  instances  were 
employed  in  the  punishment  of  notorious  transgressors. 

"  March  31, 1794.  Voted  that  swine  may  run  in  the 
highway,  having  a  yoke  on  the  neck,  of  the  following  di 
mensions  :  the  depth  of  the  neck  above,  and  half  of  the 
depth  below ;  and  the  thickness  of  the  neck  on  each 
side ;  with  a  sufficient  ring  in  the  nose."  Stray  cattle 
and  horses  were  to  be  impounded ;  and  thus  due  order  be 
preserved. 


TOWN   CLERKS, 


WITH   THE    PERIODS    OF   THEIR   SERVICES. 


*773  Stevens  'McConnell, 

1774  No  record, 

1775  Jacob  Fowler, 

1776  Stevens  McConnell, 
1777 — i78o,  No  record, 

1781  Stevens  McConnell, 

1782  Benjamin  Baldwin, 
1783 — 1785,  No  record, 

1786  Stevens  McConnell, 

1787 — 1788,  No  record, 
1789  Benjamin  Baldwin, 

1790 — 1793,  John  Underwood, 


1794—1797, 

1798 — 1815, 

1816—1820, 

1821—1837, 

1838 

1839—1845, 

1846-1853, 

1854-1855, 

1856—1862, 

1863 

1864—1869, 
1870—1874, 


Moses  Chamberlain, 
Andrew  B.  Peters, 
John  H.  Cotton, 
Andrew  B.  Peters, 
Horace  Strickland, 
A.  B.  Peters, 
Geo.  P.  Baldwin. 
Geo.  L.  Butler, 
Adams  Preston, 
Charles  H.  Harding, 
Edward  Prichard. 
John  B.  W.  Prichard, 


REPRESENTATIVES    FROM     BRADFORD, 


TO    THE    GENERAL    ASSEMBLY,   WITH    THE    PERIODS    OF    THEIR 
ELECTION. 


1788 
1790 


1791 
1792 

1793—1794, 

1795—1797, 

1798—1799, 

1800 

1801 

1802 

1803—1804, 

1805 

1806—1813, 

1814—1818, 

1819—1821, 

1822 

1823 

1824—1826, 

1827 

1828 

1829 

1830 


John  Barren, 
Asher     Chamberlain, 
and  Col.  John  Barron 
to  assist  him  in  ob 
taining  a  Charter. 
John  Barron, 
Nathaniel  White  and 
M.  Barron. 
John  Barron, 
Micah  Barron, 
Andrew  B.  Peters, 
William  Simpson, 
A.  B.  Peters, 
Daniel  Kimball, 
A.  B.  Peters, 
Arad  Stebbins, 
Daniel  Kimball 
John  H.  Cotton, 
John  Peckett, 
Geo.  W.  Prichard, 
John  Peckett, 
Jesse  Merrill,  2d, 
George  W.  Prichard, 
Jesse  Merrill,  2d, 
Joseph  Clark, 
Jesse  Merrill,  2d, 


1831 

1832—1833 
1834—1836, 
1837 

1838 

1839 

1840 

1841—1842, 

1843—1844, 

1845 

1846 

1847 

1848—1850, 

1851- -1853, 

1854 

1855 

1856—1857, 

1858—1859, 

1860—1861, 

1862—1865, 

1866—1867, 

1868 

1869 

1870—1873, 

1874—1875, 


John  B.  Peckett, 
Jesse  Merrill,  2d, 
Arad  Stebbins,  jr., 
J.D.Parker, 
Arad1  Stebbins,  jr., 
J.  W.  D.  Parker, 
Adams  Preston, 
Alvin  Taylor, 
Geo.  P.  Baldwin, 
No  choice, 
Arad  Stebbins,  jr., 
Geo.  P.  Baldwin, 
Hubbard  Wright, 
No  choice, 
Richard  R.  Aldrich, 
Hubbard  Wright, 
Horace  Strickland, 
George  Prichard, 
George  L.  Butler, 
Hubbard  Wright, 
Barron  Hay, 
Hubbard  Wright, 
Asa  M.  Dickey, 
Henry  C.  McDuffee, 
Joseph  W.  Bliss. 


44 

ROADS   SURVEYED. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  curiosity  and  satisfaction,  to 
Bradford  people,  to  know  the  distances  from  place  to  place 
along  several  of  the  roads  which  they  are  accustomed  to 
travel ;  as  stated  in  authentic  surveys,  in  times  past.  Ac 
cordingly,  I  will  give  a  condensed  statement,  taken  from 
an  old  volume  of  the  Town  Records,  several  years  ago ; 
which  since  seems  to  have  strangely  disappeared. 

I.  RIVER  ROAD,  from  North  to  South ;  survey  by  Caleb 
Willard,  in  1795.     Distance  from  the  North  line  of  Bradford 
to  Roaring  brook,  188  rods,  that  is>  one-half  mile  and  28 
rods  ;  thence  to  Daniel  Collins'  house,  Sawyer  place  ?  one 
mile  and   18   rods;    thence  to  Meeting  house,  near  the 
Peters'  place,  one  mile  ;  thence  to  Wait's  River  bridge,  one 
mile,  lacking  20  rods ;  thence  to  the  Peckett  house,  Har 
vey  Nourse  place  ?  one  mile  and  24  rods  ;  thence  to  John 
Barren's,  or  Waterman  place,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  ;  thence 
to  Fairlee,  North  line,  52    rods ;    making   the    distance 
through  the  town,  on  this  road,  five  miles,  three  quarters, 
and  16  rods. 

II.  THE  SOUTH  ROAD — Surveyed  by  Aaron  Shepherd, 
1786.     From  Peckett's  blacksmith  shop,  near  the  corner 
where  the  road  to  Goshen  turns  off,  in  the  central  part  of 
the  village,  to  the  Hazen  land,  which  begins  at  the  brook 
a  little  East  of  Ira  Low's  house,  four  miles  and  50  rods ; 
thence  through  the  Hazen  land  to  the  East  line  of  Cor 
inth,  one-half  of  a  mile  and  74  rods ;  making  the  whole 
distance  from  the  village  to  the  West  line  of  Bradford   on 
that  road,  four  miles  and  three  quarters,  and  44  rods,  or 
five  miles,  lacking  36  rods. 

III.  GOSHEN  ROAD — Surveyed  by  Aaron  Shepherd,  in 
1788.     Beginning  at  the  School  house  in  the  village,  near 
the  falls  on  Wait's  River,  by  the  Tabor  place  to  the  junc 
tion  with  the  Goshen  North  road,  three  miles  and  19  rods. 

IV.  ROAD  UP  THE  BROOK  FROM  ROWELL'S  CORNER — 


45 

Surveyed  by  Benjamin  P.  Baldwin,  in  November,  1837. 
From  the  guide-board  in  said  corner,  to  the  crossing  of 
the  Brushwood  road,  called  the  Four  Corners,  one  mile 
and  a  quarter,  lacking  one  rod ;  thence  to  the  John  Un 
derwood  place,  one -half  of  a  mile  and  36  rods;  in  the 
whole,  from  Ro well's  Corner's  to  the  Underwood  house, 
one  mile,  three-quarters  and  35  rods. 

V.  WAIT'S  RIVER  ROAD — Surveyed  by  Benjamin  P. 
Baldwin,  October,  1821,  under  the  direction  of  a  commit 
tee  appointed  by  the  State  Legislature.  This  is  the  East 
ern  section  of  the  stage  road,  and  great  thoroughfare 
from  Bradford  village,  through  East  Corinth,  Topsham, 
Orange  and  Barre,  to  Montpelier,  and  so  on  to  Burlington; 
also  by  the  South  Branch  of  Wait's  River,  through  Cor 
inth  and  Vershire,  to  Chelsea.  The  old  roads  had  been 
over  the  high  hills,  and  to  this  road  decided  opposition 
was  made,  at  first,  by  a  majority  in  Bradford,  on  account 
of  the  expense  of  making  it ;  but  owing  to  a  strong  pres 
sure  from  within,  and  a  stronger  from  without,  it  was  put 
through,  greatly  to  public  convenience. 

SUMMARY. — From  Farnham's  Corner  (near  Mr.  Cyrus 
Stearns',)  on  the  River  Road,  across  the  Saddle  Bank  to 
the  West  end  of  the  Baldwin  bridge,  one  mile  and  34 
rods  ;  thence  to  John  Moore's  house,  now  Russ',  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  and  11  rods.  From  the  Baldwin  bridge 
to  Cass  bridge,  at  Bradford  Center,  two  miles  and  one- 
half  and  9  rods.  From  Baldwin  bridge  to  Colby  bridge, 
the  next  above  Bradford  Center,  four  miles  and  25  rods ; 
thence  to  the  Northwest  line  of  the  town,  as  you  go  to 
wards  Corinth,  East  Village,  one  mile  and  62  rods,  making 
the  whole  distance  from  Baldwin's  bridge  to  that  point, 
five  miles,  one-quarter  and  7  rods ;  and  from  the  great 
river  road,  at  the  place  of  beginning,  six  miles,  one-quar 
ter,  and  41  rods.  From  Connecticut  River,  at  Piermont 
bridge,  through  the  town  of  Bradford,  in  this  direction,  is 
six  miles,  three-quarters  and  35  rods ;  and  thence  to  Wat- 


46 

son's  Mills  in  Barre,  on  the  Chelsea  turnpike,  it  is  sixteen 
miles  further,  lacking  54  rods. 

FROM  COLBY  BRIDGE,  a  few  miles  below  the  confluence 
of  the  North  and  South  principal  branches  of  Wait's 
River,  up  the  latter  to  the  East  line  of  Corinth,  is  about 
one  mile  and  a  half.  These  several  places  are  at  the  same 
distance  from  the  central  part  of  Bradford  village  as  from 
Farnham's  Corner,  lacking  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile. 

VI.  SURVEY  THROUGH  BRADFORD  VILLAGE,  by  Benjamin 
P.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  August  12,  1841.  From  the  southeast 
corner  of  Deacon  Hardy's  lot,  near  the  North  end  of 
the  village,  to  the  Alfred  Corliss'  house,  now  George 
Jenkins',  56  rods ;  thence  to  Prichard's  store,  58  rods  fur 
ther;  thence  to  the  Town  House,  114  rods;  thence  to  the 
corner  of  Pleasant  street,  24  rods ;  thence  to  the  brow  of 
the  hill  West  of  John  B.  Peckett's  house,  now  Col.  J. 
Stearns',  56  rods  ;  making  the  Avhole  distance  through  the 
village  in  this  direction,  one  mile,  lacking  12  rods,  from 
the  place  of  beginning. 

According  to  a  more  recent  survey  by  J.  Stratton,  Esq., 
the  distance  from  the  Trotter  House,  in  the  central  part  of 
the  village,  to  the  railroad  station,  Northeast,  is  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  and  41  rods ;  and  from  the  same  house 
to  the  station,  South,  at  the  Piermont  crossing,  is  one  mile 
and  44  rods.  From  said  hotel  to  the  West  end  of  Bald 
win  bridge,  on  the  stage  road  to  East  Corinth,  seven- 
eights  of  a  mile. 

BRIDGES. 

Owing  to  the  rapid  current  of  Wait's  River,  and  its  sud 
den  and  great  overflowings,  sometimes  sweeping  away 
with  resistless  force  vast  quantities  of  ice,  the  Town 
has  been  subjected  to  no  small  amount  of  labor  and  pe 
cuniary  expense  to  build  and  maintain  the  requisite  num 
ber  of  some  six  or  seven  bridges  over  it.  Still  there  has 
been  a  praiseworthy  effort  to  do  so.  As  early  as  1802  it 


47 

was  voted  to  build  a  bridge  across  this  river,  near  Peter 
Severance's,  not  far  from  the  Corinth  line  ;  also  one  op 
posite  to  the  Southeast  end  of  Wright's  Mountain ;  also 
another  further  down,  near  Captain  Baldwin's.  These 
early  bridges  were  built  as  cheaply  as  possible  ;  supported 
in  the  middle  by  framed  work  below,  and  of  course  very 
liable  to  disaster.  While  the  builders  were  engaged  in 
erecting  one  across  the  river,  near  where  the  brick  grist 
mill  now  stands,  the  structure  fell,  in  1803,  and  killed  Mr. 
John  Bliss,  one  of  the  workmen.  And  subsequently  either 
the  same  bridge,  when  finished,  or  another  in  the  same 
place,  its  underwork  being  damaged  by  a  freshet,  fell,  al 
most  entire,  into  the  roaring  current,  and  was  swept 
away.  The  bridge  at  Bradford  Center,  in  1832,  through 
its  own  weakness,  when  no  such  disaster  was  anticipated, 
went  down  with  a  sudden  crash !  when  no  one  was  on  it ; 
though  it  had,  up  to  that  time,  been  in  constant  use.  In 
March,  1830,  it  was  voted  that  the  Selectmen  be  author 
ized  to  purchase  a  patent  right  for  a  bridge,  or  bridges, 
as  they  shall  think  best  for  the  interest  of  the  town. 
Bridges  built  in  accordance  with  this  plan,  with  strong 
support  above,  and  leaving  below  a  sufficiently  spacious 
and  free  passage  for  the  river,  even  when  greatly  swol 
len,  and  sweeping  proudly  along,  are  found  to  be  alto 
gether  the  strongest  and  best. 

Accidents  by  reason  of  the  unsafe  condition  of  roads 
and  bridges  have  occasionally  befallen  travelers ;  whose 
claims  for  damages  seem,  not  much  to  the  credit  of  the 
town,  to  have  been  very  generally  resisted.  Take,  for  in 
stance,  this,  though  we  have  not  now  all  the  facts  before 
us :  1814,  September  6.  "  Voted  not  to  pay  for  the  horse 
of  Jesse  Woodward,"  which  seems  to  have  been  killed 
in  consequence  of  the  bad  state  of  a  bridge.  But  the 
case  of  an  unfortunate  woman  was,  at  the  same  time, 
treated  with  a  little  more  favor :  "  Voted  that  Mary  Me- 
Killips  be  allowed  Eight  Dollars,  and  her  reasonable  sur- 


48 

geon's  bill,  for  setting  and  dressing  her  arm,  that  was  bro 
ken  by  the  fall  of  her  horse  through  the  bridge  by  Peter 
Severance's  " ! 

FRESHETS. 

Both  Wait's  River  and  the  Connecticut,  annually,  and 
occasionally  more  than  once  in  a  year,  by  reason  of  heavy 
rains,  aided,  especially  in  Spring  time,  by  dissolving  snow, 
rise  astonishingly,  and  extensively  overflow  the  low  lands 
through  which  they  pass ;  sometimes  to  a  great  depth. 
The  general  effect,  like  the  periodical  overflowings  of  the 
Nile,  is  to  enrich  the  soil,  arid  render  it  the  more  produc 
tive.  But,  on  various  occasions,  bridges  and  mill  dams, 
great  quantities  of  valuable  lumber,  and  the  rich  produc 
tions  of  the  grass  and  grain  and  corn  fields,  to  the  bitter 
disappointment  of  their  owners,  have  been  swept  away  ; 
and  even  the  courses  of  the  streams  essentially  chaifged, 
by  cutting  off  the  soil  from  one  side,  and  leaving  it  some 
where  below,  on  the  other.  Events  of  unique  and  thril 
ling  description  have  occasionally  been  experienced,  or 
witnessed,  on  some  of  these  occasions. 

The  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  history  of  the  Coos 
country,  says  he  had  the  following  account  from  a  Mr. 
Wallace,  of  Thetford,  who,  at  the  time  the  great  freshet 
of  1771  occurred,  was  in  Bradford,  and  personally  con 
cerned  in  the  adventure  related.  This  freshet  was  re 
markably  destructive.  "  Wallace  went  to  the  relief  of  a 
family  in  Bradford,  who  lived  on  the  place  noAv  owned  by 
Mr.  Hunkins.  It  was-  the  family  of  Hugh  Miller.  His 
wife  was  the  sister  of  the  far  famed  Robert  Rogers,  the 
hero  of  St.  Francois.  When  Wallace  reached  this  habi 
tation  " — which  stood  in  the  meadow — "  he  rowed  his  ca 
noe  into  the  house,  as  far  as  the  width  of  the  house  would 
receive  it,  took  the  family  from  the  bed  whereon  they 
stood,  and  bore  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  But  Mrs.  Mil 
ler,  the  next  day,  seeing  their  sheep  standing  on  a  small 


49 

eminence  in  the  meadow,  surrounded  by  water,  her  hus 
band  being  absent,  resolved  on  Rescuing  them  from  their 
perilous  situation.  She  pressed  into  her  service  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  George  Binfield  " — probably  Banfidd— 
"  and  they  took  a  canoe  and  set  sail  for  the  sheep.  They 
reached  the  place,  caught  the  sheep,  tied  their  legs,  placed 
them  on  board,  and  set  out  on  their  return  voyage  for  the 
high  lands  ;  but  when  they  came  into  a  strong  current,  they 
were  carried  down  stream,  until  the  canoe  struck  a  pine 
stub,  and  was  capsized  !  All  were  precipitated  into  the 
water,  of  the  depth  of  ten  feet.  When  our  heroine  arose, 
and  her  companion  in  adventure,  they  caught  hold  of  a 
stub,  standing  about  five  feet  out  of  the  water,  and  main 
tained  their  grasp  until  another  boat  was  obtained  and 
they  were  liberated  from  their  perilous  situation;  but  the 
wrecked  canoe  and  sheep  were  never  heard  from  more. 
From  this  time  the  people  sought  more  elevated  situations 
for  their  habitations." 

The  above  named  author  proceeds  to  say  :  "  Jonathan 
Tyler,  of  Piermont,  related  an  extraordinary  fact  which 
occurred  in  this  same  great  freshet.  He  said  a  horse  was 
tied  to  a  log  in  a  stock-yard,  upon  the  great  Ox  Bow,  in 
Newbury,  and  when  the  water  arose  it  took  away  the 
horse,  and  the  log  to  which  he  was  made  fast ;  and  the 
horse  was  taken  out  of  the  river  alive,  at  Hanover,"- 
some  thirty  miles  below — "  but  soon  died,  upon  reaching 
the  shore.  He  would,  doubtless,  have  perished  soon  after 
breaking  from  his  moorings  in  Newbury,  had  not  the  log  to 
which  he  was  tied  kept  his  head  above  the  water,  and  thus 
prolonged  his  life  many  hours." 

Another  incident :  "  Colonel  Howard  told  me  that,  in 
this  same  freshet,  some  swine  were  taken  away  by  the 
water,  in  the  North  part  of  Haverhill,  and  were  carried 
down  to  the  Ox  Bow," — the  distance  of  a  mile,  or  two — 
"  where  they  made  good  their  standing  upon  the  top  of  a 
hay-stack,  where  they  remained,  capering  about !  until  the 


50 

waters  subsided  ;  and  the  owners  procured  their  property 
again."  Rather  scanty  accommodations,  one  would  think, 
for  much  capering  about. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  winter  of  1866  occurred  a 
remarkable  freshet  in  Wait's  River,  Avhich  tore  up  and 
swept  away  the  thick  ice  in  a  frightful  manner ;  a  great 
mass  of  which,  having  lodged  against  Baldwin's  bridge, 
so  obstructed  the  current  of  the  river  as  to  cause  the 
water  above  to  rise  rapidly  to  an  astonishing  height,  and 
to  sweep  over  the  interval  between  the  West  end  of  the 
bridge  and  the  adjacent  hill- side  with  great  impetuosity. 
The  four  or  five  houses  there  were  inundated,  and  in  great 
peril.  At  about  one  o'clock  p.  M.  Mr.  Samuel  Merrill  and 
wife  thought  it  high  time  for  them  to  escape  ;  which 
they  did  in  such  haste  as  to  leave  all  their  household  ef 
fects  behind.  By  half-past  seven,  the  same  day,  the  water 
had  become  so  deep  around  and  within  their  habitation 
that  it  was  raised  from  its  foundations,  and  sailed  away 
like  a  ship  at  sea.  The  bridge,  directly  after,  gave  way  ; 
the  jam  of  ice  went  with  it ;  the  accumulated  waters  went 
too,  with  a  mighty  rush  ;  and  the  floating  house  went  over 
the  river  bank  only  in  season  to  be  left,  partly  capsized, 
in  the  old  channel ;  some  forty,  or  perhaps  fifty,  rods  be 
low  its  old  position.  It  was  finally  raised,  by  the  aid  of 
machinery,  in  pretty  good  condition,  and  removed  to  a 
more  desirable  location  than  its  first,  where  it  still  stands, 
making  a  pleasant  hom.e  for  another  family.  By  the  same 
freshet  serious  damage  was  done  to  the  dam,  and  other 
works  connected  with  Mr.  Low's  paper  mill,  on  the  same 
river,  some  half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  the 
place  from  which  the  bridge  above  mentioned  was  swept 
away. 

AN    EXTRAORDINARY    VISITATION. 

In  his  History   of  the  Coos  Country,  the  Rev.  Grant 
Powers  gives  an  account  of  an  astonishing  multitude  of 


51 

worms,  of  uncommon  size  and  destructiveness,  which 
passed  through  this  section  of  the  Connecticut  River  val 
ley  in  the  summer  of  1770,  overspreading  to  a  great 
•  breadth  the  whole  surface  of  the  ground  ;  destroying  the 
luxuriant  fields  of  wheat  and  corn,  and  leaving  desolation 
behind  them.  He  says  he  had  his  information  from  Rev. 
Dr.  Burton,  of  Thetford,  who  was  an  eye  witness  of  the 
scene.  No  better  testimony  could  be  desired ;  for,  from 
the  biography  of  Dr.  Burton,  it  appears  that  he  was  at 
that  time  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  living  in  Norwich, 
and  laboriously  engaged  with  his  father  in  agricultural 
business.  That  was  the  year  in  which  the  charter  of  this 
town  was  obtained.  There  were  then  in  this  place  about 
thirty  land  holders,  mainly  located  in  the  valley ;  who 
must,  with  their  neighbors  of  other  towns,  have  seriously 
suffered  by  the  loathsome  and  distressing  calamity.  I 
will  give  the  account  substantially  as  I  find  it,  though 
considerably  abbreviated.  The  army  of  worms  seem  to 
have  commenced  as  far  North  as  Lancaster,  N.  H.,  and  ex 
tended  their  ravages  as  far  down  as  Northfield,  Mass.,  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.  They  began  to  appear  the  latter 
part  of  July,  and  continued  their  ravages  until  Septem 
ber.  The  inhabitants  styled  them  the  Northern  Army. 
They  were  multitudinous  almost  beyond  imagination. 
Dr.  Burton  said  he  had  seen  whole  pastures  so  covered 
that  he  could  not  put  down  his  finger  in  a  single  spot 
without  touching  a  worm !  He  said  he  had  seen  more 
than  ten  bushels  in  a  heap.  They  were  unlike  anything 
the  present  generation  has  ever  seen.  They  were  of  dif 
ferent  sizes,  but  in  their  maturity  were  as  long  as  a  man's 
finger,  and  proportionally  large  in  circumference.  There 
was  a  stripe  along  the  back  like  black  velvet ;  on  each 
side  a  yellow  stripe,  from  end  to  end ;  and  the  rest  of  the 
body  was  brown.  They  appeared  to  be  iji  great  haste,  ex 
cept  when  they  halted  to  devour  their  food.  In  their 
right-onward  march  they  would  go  up  the  side  of  a  house, 


52 

and  over  it,  in  such  a  complete  column  that  nothing  of 
boards  or  shingles  could  be  seen!  or  if  any  door  or  win 
dow,  on  the  side  which  they  approached,  happened  to  be 
open,  they  would  enter  and  fill  the  houses  of  the  inhabi 
tants,  as  did  the  frogs  of  Egypt.  They  did  riot  take  hold 
of  the  pumpkin  vines,  peas,  potatoes,  or  flax  ;  but  wheat 
and  corn  they  devoured  with  the  utmost  greediness.  In 
the  wheat  fields  their  principal  aim  was  to  secure  the 
bending  heads,  filled  with  juicy  kernels.  To  prevent  this, 
men  would  "  draw  the  rope,"  as  they  termed  it ;  that  is, 
two  men  would  take  a  rope,  one  at  each  end,  and,  pulling 
from  each  other  till  it  was  nearly  straightened,  they  would 
pass  along  their  wheat  fields,  and  brush  off  the  worms 
from  the  stalks,  and  by  often  so  doing  retarded  some 
what  the  work  of  the  destroyers ;  but  found  the  effort  of 
no  ultimate  importance.  There  were  fields  of  corn  on  the 
meadows  in  Haverhill  and  Newbury,  standing  so  thick, 
large,  and  tall,  that  in  some  instances  it  was  difficult  to 
see  a  man  standing  in  the  field  at  the  distance  of  one  rod; 
but  in  ten  days  from  the  first  appearance  of  the  Northern 
Army,  of  that  corn  nothing  remained  but  the  naked 
stalks  !  Men  dug  ditches  around  their  fields,  some  foot 
and  a  half  deep,  hoping  this  might  prove  a  defence  ;  but 
the  worms  soon  filled  the  ditches,  and  the  millions  that 
were  in  the  rear  went  over  on  the  backs  of  their  fellows 
in  the  trenches,  and  took  possession  of  the  interdicted 
food.  Every  expedient  was  resorted  to  by  the  inhabi 
tants  to  crush,  or  in  some  way  destroy,  their  detestable 
invaders  ;  but  all  in  vain.  The  fields  of  wheat  and  corn 
were  almost  entirely  destroyed.  But  of  potatoes,  and  es 
pecially  pumpkins,  great  crops  were  gathered ;  and  the 
inhabitants,  somehow,  contrived  to  live. 

About  the  first  of  September  the  worms  suddenly  dis 
appeared  ;  but  where,  or  how,  is  unknown,  lor  not  the  car 
cass  of  a  worm  was  to  be  seen.  In  just  eleven  years  af 
terward,  in  1781,  the  same  kind  of  worms  appeared  again, 


53 

and  the  fears  of  the  people  were  much  excited ;  but  they 
were  comparatively  few  in  number ;  and  have  had,  in  the 
course  of  now  one  hundred  and  three  years,  no  suc 
cessors. 


54 

CHAPTER  III. 

Ecclesiastical  Affairs — Meeting  Houses — Churches ;  Coiigregation- 
al,  Rev.  J.  K.  Williams,  Rev.  L.  H.  Elliott;  Methodist,  with 
List  of  Pastors ;  Baptist — Cemeteries — Present  Population  of  the 
Town. 

ECCLESIASTICAL   AFFAIRS. 

The  first  settlers  of  this  town,  while  few  and  poor,  man 
ifested  a  commendable  desire  to  secure  for  themselves 
and  families  such  religious  priviliges  as  they  had  left  in 
the  various  older  places  from  .which  they  had  severally 
emigrated ;  and,  at  an  early  date,  put  forth  the  corres 
ponding  endeavors.  The  majority  were  in  favor  of  Con 
gregational  preaching,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
and  usages  of  that  day,  when  they  began  to  act  as  a 
regularly  organized  township  took  in  hand,  by  town  au 
thority,  the  business  of  not  only  employing  and  paying 
ministers  of  that  persuasion,  but  of  building  a  meeting 
house  for  their  occupancy.  Those  only  who  h'led  with  the 
Town  Clerk  an  authentic  testimonial  that  they  belonged 
to  another  denomination,  and  protested  against  being- 
taxed  for  the  support  of  this,  were  legally  exempt  from 
such  taxation. 

In  1782  the  town  voted  to  raise  £20,  to  pay  town 
charges  for  preaching,  &c.  Chose  Doctor  Aridross,  Cap 
tain  Robert  Hunkins,  and  Noah  Ford,  to  procure  preach 
ing,  to  be  paid  for  out  of  the  funds  above  mentioned. 

April  2.  Voted  to  hire  Mr.  Steward  or  Mr.  Store  to 
preach  with  us  two  or  three  months  this  Summer.  These 
were  worthy  ministers  of  the  Congregational  order,  and 
were  employed  to  preach  at  Bradford  and  Fairlee  alter 
nately. 

In  May,  1783,  at  a  town  meeting,  called  for  that  pur 
pose,  at  the  house  of  Widow  Grault,  it  was  voted  to  pay 
Colonel  Morey,  of  Fairlee,  nine  pounds,  for  boarding  min 
isters  ;  and  the  ministers  the,  same  amount  for  their  ser 
vices  the  past  year. 


55 

1785.  Sept.  15.  Voted  to  hire  a  minister  to  preach  on 
probation  for  settlement,  and  that  ,£10  be  added  to  the 
£30  voted  for  that  purpose  last  Spring  •  the  said  tax  to  be 
paid  in  wheat,  at  six  shillings  a  bushel.  Esq.  Bliss,  Jo 
seph  Clark  and  Capt.  McConnell  were  appointed  a  com 
mittee  to  carry  out  the  above  resolutions. 

1788:  Nov.  22,  the  town  voted  to  send  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Store,  desiring  him  to  come  and  preach  and  settle  with 
us  as  a  minister,  if  we  can  agree — not  without.  It  would 
seem  that  the  lack  of  such  agreement  prevented  the  min 
ister's  coming. 

ACTION  OF  THE  TOWN  IN  REGARD  TO  BUILDING 
THEIR  FIRST   MEETING-HOUSE. 

1788.  Sept.  2,  at  the  freemen's  meeting,  the  town  ap 
pointed  a  committee  to  "  drive  a  stake  where  to  set  a 
meeting -house"  and  report  at  the  next  town  meeting. 

October  18,  it  was  decided  by  the  town  that  the  meet 
ing  house  should  be  set  on  the  flat,  near  Esquire  Peters' 
barn,  and  that  it  should  be  fifty  feet  long,  forty  feet  Avide, 
and  twenty- three  feet  posts. 

Then  arose  the  serious  questions  :  who  should  build 
said  house — who  be  responsible  for  the  expense,  and  in 
what  way  the  means  of  payment  should  be  obtained? 
Town  meeting  after  town  meeting  was  held,  extending 
through  the  lapse  of  four  years  and  a  half,  in  which  a  va 
riety  of  plans  and  methods  were  earnestly  advocated  and 
opposed — some  of  them  at  times  adopted,  and  again  re 
jected — until,  on  the  19th  day  of  March,  1793,  it  was  de 
cided  that  the  town  committee  appointed  for  that  pur 
pose  should  go  forward,  and  see  the  work  accomplished. 
This  committee,  having  entered  into  a  definite  contract 
with  certain  builders,  to  make  the  thing  sure,  after  so 
much  delay  and  altercation,  required  and  received  from 
them  the  following  bond : 


56 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  we,  Joseph 
Clark,  of  Bradford,  in  the  County  of  Orange,  and  State  of 
Vermont,  and  Edward  Clark,  of  Haverhill,  in  the  County 
of  Grafton,  and  State  of  New  Hampshire,  gentlemen,  stand 
firmly  bound  unto  John  Barron,  Nathaniel  White,  Robert 
Hunkins,  and  Thomas  May,  all  of  said  Bradford,  in  the 
County  and  State  aforesaid,  Esq'rs,  in  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  pounds,  L.  M. — we  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs,  ex 
ecutors  and  administrators — which  payment  to  be  made 
by  the  1st  day  of  July,  1795. 

The  condition  of  the  above  obligation  is  such,  that  if 
the  aforesaid  Joseph  and  Edward  Clark  shall  build  arid 
complete  a  meeting-house  in  said  Bradford,  on  the  rising- 
ground  between  Edmon  Brown's  and  Andrew  B.  Peters7, 
of  said  Bradford,  fifty  feet  by  forty  feet,  with  a  porch  at 
one-  end,  and  a  porch  and  steeple  at  the  other  end,  like  a 
plan  that  hath  been  shown  to  the  above  said  John  Barron 
and  others,  aforesaid — said  house  to  be  well  finished,  well 
glassed,  well  underpinned  with  hard  stone,  with  good  hard 
door-stones — said  house  with  a  steeple  with  a  good 
weather- cock — the  workmanship  in  every  part  to  be  com 
pleted  equal  to  Newbury,  or  to  the  acceptance  of  an  in 
different  committee  that  shall  be  chosen  by  the  parties — 
said  house  to  be  completed  by  the  first  day  of  July,  1795 
—When  completed,  the  above  obligation  to  be  void  and 
of  none  effect — otherwise  to  be  in  full  force  and  virtue." 

"  Dated  at  Bradford,  this  23d  day  of  April,  Anno  Dom 
ini  1793. 

EDWARD  CLARK,  L.  S. 

JOSEPH  CLARK,    L.  S. 

"  Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of  us, 
John  Underwood,  (_ 
Levi  Collins."         j 

The  builders  fulfilled  their  contract,  and  the  house  was 
ready  for  the  ordination  of  the  elected  pastor  on  Septem 
ber  2d,  following. 


57 

By  vote  of  the  town  the  pews  had  been  sold  in  advance, 
at  public  auction,  before  the  above  contract  with  the 
builders  was  made,  so  that  the  means  of  defraying  the 
expense  were  furnished  without  resort  to  general  taxa 
tion.  The  pews  below  sold  from  32<£  to  4^£  11s  each: 
and  those  in  the  gallery  from  8£  to  6£  C>s.  That  was  the 
first  meeting-house  the  writer  of  this  article  ever  saw, 
and  the  one  in  which  he  was  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
after  ordained  as  pastor. 

We  have  now  a  meeting-house  ;  let  us  go  back  a  little, 
and  see  how  the  first  pastor  was  obtained. 

1793.  October  1 2,  at  a  town-meeting  called  for  that 
purpose : 

"  Voted  to  hire  some  preaching  this  fall,  if  some  candi 
date  should  chance  to  come  this  way" 

It  seems  that  Mr.  Gardner  Kellogg  chanced  to  come 
along,  and  was  employed. 

1794."  March  31.  Voted  to  raise  !(><£  lawful  currency 
to  pay  for  preaching. 

July  3d.  Voted  to  hire  Mr.  Kellogg  three  months 
longer. 

Sept.  24,  1794.  Voted  to  give  Mr.  Kellogg  a  call  to  set 
tle  here  in  the  ministry. 

Nov.  10.  Voted  to  give  Mr.  Kellogg  20()£  in  labor  and 
.materials  for  a  house — part  to  be  paid  in  a  year :  part  in 
two  years ;  and  the  remainder  in  three  years.  Also,  to 
give  him  50£  for  the  first  year,  and  to  increase  by  the 
addition  of  5<£,  till  it  amounts  to  75  £  or  8375,  which  shall 
be  the  regular  salary.  One  quarter  to  be  paid  in  money 
— the  remainder  in  wheat,  at  5s.  a  bushel: — or  neat  stock 
equivalent  to  said  wheat. 

1795.  Jan.  13.  Voted  to  give  Mr.  Kellogg,  in  addi 
tion  to  the  above,  twenty  cords  of  wood  yearly,  if  need 
ed.  Also,  to  give  him  200£  settlement,  in  land.,  This 
offer,  considering  the  times  and  circumstances,  was  very 
liberal. 
4 


58 . 

March  21,  1795,  Mr.  Kellogg  returned  an  affirmative 
answer  to  the  call  which  had  been  given  hmi)  and  at  a 
town-meeting  held  June  6,  1795,  it  was  decided  that  the 
ordination  of  Mr.  Kellogg  "should  be  on  Wednesday,  the 
2d  day  of  September  next ;  and  that  the  ministers  called  to 
unite  in  the  ordaining  council  should  be  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Lambert,  of  Nevvbury ;  Stephen  Fuller,  of  Vershire,  Asa 
Burton,  of  Thetford;  and  Lyman  Potter,  of  Norwich,  Vt.; 
Rev.  Joseph  Willard,  of  Lancaster ;  Ethan  Smith,  of  Hav- 
erhill ;  John  Richards,  of  Piermont ;  John  Sawyer,  of  Or- 
ford ;  William  Conant,  of  Lyme ;  Isaiah  Potter,  of  Leba 
non,  and  Seth  Payson,  of  Rindge,  N.  EL;  Joseph  Lyman, 
of  Hatfield  •  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  Hadley,  and  —  — Kel 
logg,  of  Framingham,  Mass. 

The  council  was  entertained  at  the  public  house  of  Col. 
John  Barren,  and  the  ordination  services  were  performed 
according  to  appointment.  In  all  these  transactions  ev 
erything  seems  to  have  been  done  by  town  authority  ; 
not  the  least  reference  being  made  to  even  the  existence 
of  a  church.  There  was,  however,  such  a  church,  under 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Kellogg ;  but  when  it  was  formed,  of 
how  many  members  it  consisted,  or  what  it  did,  cannot 
now  be  stated,  as  no  record  has  been  preserved ;  and 
within  a  few  years  after  that  pastor's  dismission,  that 
church  voted  to  dissolve,  arid  a  new  one,  consisting  partly 
of  members  from  the  old  one  arid  partly  of  new  converts, 
Avas  formed  in  June,  1810,  and  still  exists. 

MINISTERIAL   LANDS. 

In  the  grant  of  this  township,  made  in  trust  to  Smith, 
Harvey  and  Whitelaw,  there  was  a  reservation  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land,  the  same  being  a  part  of  the  four 
thousand  called  the  Hazen  lands,  to  be  deeded  to  the  town 
and  reserved  for  the  benefit  of  a. minister  or  ministers  to 
be  settled  in  said  town.  It  was  from  this  reservation  that 
land  to  the  estimated  value  of  200X  was  promised  to  Mr. 


59 

Kellogg  as  his  settlement,  as  it  was  called.  As  he  was 
the  first  minister  settled  by  the  town,  it  was  for  a  time 
maintained  that  the  whole  of  this  land  in  justice  belonged 
to  him.  But  as  a  Calvinistic  Baptist  church  had  been 
formed  about  the  same  time,  and  built  a  meeting-house, 
and  were  supporting  a  minister  entirely  at  their  own  ex 
pense,  they  claimed  that  a  due  proportion  of  the  ministe 
rial  lands  ought  to  be  granted  to  them.  After  much  dis 
cussion,  deciding,  and  reconsidering  what  should  be  done, 
the  town  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  to  deed  two  hun 
dred  acres  to  Rev.  Gardner  Kellogg,  his  heirs  and  assigns 
forever,  and  one  hundred  acres  to  a  committee  appointed  for 
that  purpose  by  the  said  Baptist  Society,  for  their  use  and 
benefit.  Both  deeds  were  made  by  the  Selectmen  the 
same  day,  August  4,  1796.  The  consideration  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  Kellogg,  as  specified,  is  141X  15s.;  and  on  the  part 
of  the  Baptist  Society,  one  penny,  lawful  money,  duly 
paid.  This  Society,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  became 
extinct,  their  meeting-house,  which  stood  in  close  prox 
imity  to  the  cemetery  on  the  upper  plain,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  same,  was,  after  standing  for  a  long  while  des 
olate,  taken  down ;  and  the  land  which  had  been  appro 
priated  to  them,  or  rather  the  consideration  for  which  it 
was  sold,  is  now  possessed  by  another  society,  calling 
themselves  Christian  Baptists  or  Christians,  in  quite  a  dif 
ferent  part  of  the  town,  and  used  for  the  support  of  their 
ministry. 

This  method  of  supporting  a  minister  by  town  taxation 
was  attended  with  many  difficulties,  and  finally  proved  a 
failure.  In  view  of  his  settlement,  and  during  its  contin 
uance,  those  who  were  unwilling  to  pay  for  his  support 
were  prompt  to  give  the  requisite  notice  that  they  be 
longed  to  some  other  denomination,  and  did  not  consent 
to  be  taxed  by  the  town  for  the  support  of  their  minister. 
And  so  the  matter  grew  more  and  more  embarrassing, 
both  to  the  minister  and  his  adherents,  (stillp  called  the 


60 

town)  until  the  town,  at  their  March  meeting,  1809,  ap 
pointed  a  committee  to  request  Mr.  Kellogg  to  ask  for  a 
dismission.  To  this  application  he  replied  that  he  would 
be  ready  to  join  in  a  Council  for  his  dismission,  when 
the  town  should  pay  up  what  they  were  owing  him. 
April  G,  1809,  it  was  voted  that  the  Selectmen  be  author 
ized  to  make  up  a  tax  of  $483,  to  be  paid  by  those  not 
exempt  by  law,  to  settle  up  with  Mr.  Kellogg.  By  the 
payment  of  this  balance  due,  the  town  seem  to  have  con 
sidered  the  connection  between  them  arid  their  first, 
and  in  tact  only,  minister  dissolved.  There  is  no  record 
of  the  calling  of  a  council,  or  of  any  ecclesiastical  action 
in  the  case.  And  thus  after  a  lapse  of  nearly  fourteen 
years  from  its  commencement,  the  ministry  of  this  good 
man  in  Bradford  was  terminated. 

The  Rev.  Gardner  Kellogg  was  a  man  of  fair,  ordinary 
ability,  well  educated,  mild,  moderate,  and  conciliating  in 
his  spirit  and  manners,  evangelical  in  his  sentiments,  and 
without  reproach  in  his  Christian  and  ministerial  charac 
ter.  Not  long  after  his  removal  from  this  place  he  was 
constituted  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Wind- 
ham,  Maine ;  where  he  finished  the  work  on  earth  which 
his  Lord  had  given  him  to  do,  and  passed  away  to  his  final 
rest ;  leaving  an  exceedingly  amiable  family,  rich,  not  in 
this  world's  goods,  but  in  faith  and  good  works. 

THE   PRESENT    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

in  Bradford  was  organized  June  24,  1810,  by  the  counsel 
and  assistance  of  Rev.  Stephen  Fuller,  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Vershire.  The  new  church  at  first  consisted  of 
but  seven  members,  two  men  and  five  women.  For  over 
five  years  they  were  without  a  regular  pastor ;  though  not 
without  preaching,  for  much  of  that  time.  Rev.  Silas  Mc- 
Keen,  their  first  pastor,  commenced  his  ministry  here  Ju 
ly  25,  1814,  on  the  second  Sabbath  after  having  received 
license  to  preach;  and  October  28,  1815,  received  ordin- 


61 

ation,  and  was  duly  constituted  pastor.  After  the  lapse 
of  twelve  years  of  various  success  and  discouragement, 
for  want  of  competent  support,  he  asked  for  a  release 
from  his  pastoral  charge  ;  and  by  act  of  council,  October 
29,  1827,  received  a  regular  dismission.  While  preparing 
his  farewell  sermon  he  was  unexpectedly  invited  to  an 
other  field  of  ministerial  labor.  He  had  but  fairly  com 
menced  his  ministerial  work  there  before  he  received  a 
pressing  call  from  his  Bradford  people  to  return  to  them, 
as  thev  had  found  themselves  better  able  and  more  strong 
ly  united  than  they  were  previously  aware  of,  and  in  the 
meantime  had  made  what  they  hoped  would  be  satisfac 
tory  arrangements  in  regard  to  his  permanent  support. 
To  this  truly  warm-hearted  invitation  he  gave  a  cordial 
reception,  and  January  17,  1828,  was  again  regularly  con 
stituted  their  pastor,  after  an  absence  of  a  feAv  weeks ; 
and  a  season  of  precious  refreshing*  from  the  Divine 
Presence  immediately  ensued ;  and  the  church  was  most 
happily  increased  in  numbers  and  strength. 

In  the  Autumn  of  1832  Mr.  McKeen,  without  the  least 
previous  consultation  or  notice,  having  been  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  First  Congregational  church  in  Belfast, 
Maine,  by  consent  of  the  church  in  Bradford  the  matter 
was  referred  to  the  consideration  of  an  Ecclesiastical 
Council,  who  advised  that  he  should  accept  the  call,  which 
having  been  once  declined,  had  been  urgently  renewed ; 
and  accordingly  he  was  again  released  from  his  pastoral 
charge,  December  31,  1832. 

Rev.  George  W.  Campbell,  subsequently  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Newbury,  then  preached  here 
as  a  stated  supply,  and  was  highly  esteemed. 

Rev.  John  Suddard  was  the  next  preacher.  He  was 
an  Englishmen,  had  been  a  minister  in  the  Episcopal 
church,  though  at  this  time  a  Congregationalist.  After 
leaving  here,  it  is  understood  he  returned  again  to  his  first 
love. 


62 

During  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Suddard's  ministry  here,  in 
1836,  the  first  meeting-house  of  this  society,  which  stood 
on  the  upper  plain,  near  the  Peters'  place,  and  had  been 
occupied  for  forty  years,  was  taken  down  ;  and  the  frame, 
new  modeled,  was  used  in  building  the  present  Congre 
gational  meeting-house,  which  stands  in  a  very  pleasant 
part  of  the  village.  This  house  was  dedicated  to  the  ser 
vice  of  God  in  January,  1837.  The  sermon  on  the  occa 
sion  was  by  Rev.  Sherman  Kellogg,  an  Evangelist,  of 
Montpelier ;  who,  in  connection  with  that  service,  held  a 
Protracted  Meeting  of  some  thirteen  or  fourteen  days  con 
tinuance,  which  resulted  in  the  addition  to  the  church  of 
aboui  forty  new  members. 

The  next  minister  was  the  Rev.  Cephas  H.  Kent,  a 
graduate  of  Middlebury  College,  who  had  received  his 
theological  education  at  Andover,  and  had  for  a  time  been 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Freeport,  Maine. 
He  was  installed  December  27,  1837,  and  continued  pas 
tor  till  December  15,  1841  ;  when,  on  account  of  some  dif 
ficulties  which  had  arisen,  he  received,  by  his  own  re 
quest,  a  regular  dismission ;  being  recommended  by  the 
Council  as  an  able  and  faithful  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
He  has  been  for  some  twelve  or  thirteen  years  officiating 
as  pastor  in  Ripton,  Vt.,  where,  at  this  writing,  he  still  re 
sides,  enjoying  the  esteem  of  his  people,  and  much  blessed 
in  his  own  pious  Avife  and  children. 

The  church  and  people  at  Bradford  being  thus  left  in  a 
somewhat  distracted  and  trying  condition,  with  great 
unanimity  extended  to  their  first  pastor  a  call  to  return  to 
them  again,  which  he  accepted.  He  re- commenced  his 
ministry  here  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  March,  1842,  and  on 
the  25th  of  May  following,  was  re -installed  pastor  •  sermon 
on  the  occasion  by  Rev.  Dr.  Lord,  ol  Dartmouth  College ; 
and  in  connection  with  a  well  united  church  and  people, 
amid  many  evidences  -of  the  divine  favor,  so  continued 
for  a  little  over  twenty-four  years  more :  when,  having, 


63 

from  his  own  impression  of  expediency,  asked  for  a  final 
release  from  his  pastoral  labors,  with  the  kindest  feelings 
on  both  sides  still  existing,  he  preached  his  farewell  ser 
mon  July  29,  1866  ;  though  his  regular  dismission,  by  act 
of  Council,  did  not  occur  till  the  21st  day  of  November 
following.  His  whole  period  of  active  ministry  here  was 
forty-two  years  and  about  eight  months,  during  which 
time  three  hundred  and  forty-two  members^  were  add 
ed  to  the  church,  which  consisted  of  eleven  when  it  first 
came  under  his  pastoral  care. 

After  the  close  of  Rev.  Mr.  McKeen's  ministry  in  Brad 
ford,  several  of  his  friends,  in  remembrance  of  the  past, 
and  still  wishing  him  to  reside  among  them,  presented  him 
and  his  wife  with  a  life  lease,  free  from  rent,  of  a  pleas 
ant  homestead,  near  the  Congregational  church,  at  an  ex 
pense  of  about  $2,600.  An  example  truly  worthy  of  the 
imitation  of  other  people,  in  like  circumstances.  This 
house,  though  newly  worked  over,  both  within  and  with 
out,  is  the  same  which  he  first  occupied  in  Bradford,  and 
in  which  all  his  children  were  born,  and  the  wife  of  his 
youth  died. 

The  next  pastor  of  this  church  was  Mr.  John  K.  Wil 
liams,  then  recently  from  the  Theological  Seminary  at  An- 
dover.  In  him,  the  first  and  only  candidate  in-  this  in 
stance,  the  church  and  people  were  immediately  united, 
and  with  the  prospect  of  a  comfortable  support,  and  a  fail- 
field  of  usefulness,  he  was  ordained  to  the  pastoral  service 
here,  November  22,  1866. 

Rev.  Mr.  Williams'  salary  was  $1,000  a  year,  including 
the  use  of  the  parsonage,  which  was  reckoned  as  paying 
$150  of  that  sum.  The  people,  in  addition  to  this,  were 
very  kind  to  him  and  his  family.  During  the  first  year  of 
his  ministry  an  interesting  revival  of  religion  was  enjoyed, 
and  peace  and  ordinary  prosperity  continued  up  to  the 
time  of  his  resignation,  after  a  ministry  here  of  six  years. 
He  was  regularly  dismissed,  by  act  of  Council,  with  cor- 


64 

dial  recommendation,  October  22,  1872,  when  he  removed 
directly  to  West  Rutland,  Vt. 

The  whole  number  of  members  who  have  ever  belonged 
to  this  church  from  its  first  organization,  June  24,  1810, 
to  July  6,  1874,  has  been  five  hundred  and  thirty,  seven 
of  whom  the  second  time,  to  be  deducted,  leaving  five 
hundred  and  twenty-three  different  members. 

It  may  perhaps  as  well  be  mentioned  here  as  elsewhere, 
that  several  valuable  donations  have  from  time  been  made 
to  this  church  and  society  by  friends  resident  in  the  place. 
Captain  William  Trotter  presented  the  church  with  a 
Communion  Service,  the  plates  of  Britannia,  but  the  tank 
ard  and  goblets  of  solid  silver. 

Mr.  Timothy  Aver  bequeathed  money  sufficient  to  pur 
chase  a  desirable  parsonage,  and  a  bell  for  the  meeting 
house. 

Mr.  Johnson  A.  Hardy  gave  a  valuable  church  clock. 

Mr.  Nicholas  W.  Aver  bequeathed  in  his  last  will,  one 
thousand  dollars  to  the  society ;  the  interest  to  be  appro 
priated  to  the  support  of  preaching. 

Mrs.  Betsey  8.  Aver,  his  widow,  gave,  in  like  manner 
to  the  church  five  hundred  dollars,  the  interest  to  be  ap 
propriated  in  the  same  way. 

The  Rev.  L.  H.  Elliot  immediately  succeeded  Rev.  Mr. 
Williams,  and  without  installation,  has  continued,  to  the 
time  of  the  present  writing,  to  minister  here  to  the  gen 
eral  satisfaction  of  his  people.  For  some  further  informa 
tion  concerning  the  two  ministers  last  mentioned,  see  the 
appended  biographical  sketches  of  them  and  their  families: 

REV.   JOHN   K.    WILLIAMS  AND  FAMILY. 

Rev.  J.  K.  Williams  was  a  native  of  Charlotte,  Vt.,  born 
February  2,  1835  ;  a  son  of  Mr.  William  R.  and  Mrs.. 
Alice  (Adams)  Williams,  worthy  inhabitants  of  that  place, 
His  minority  was  chiefly  spent  with  his  father,  in  agricul 
tural  occupations ;  but  having  a  strong  desire  to  obtain  a 


65 

liberal  education  he  so  managed  that  he  was  enabled  to 
.enter  college  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age.  Af 
ter  graduation,  he  taught  lor  one  year  in  Castleton  Sem 
inary,  and  then  complied  with  a  request  to  engage  as  a 
tutor  in  Middlebury  College,  where  lie  had  graduated,  and 
there  officiated  in  that  capacity  for  two  years.  He  then, 
with  strong  desire  to  become  prepared  for  the  gospel 
ministry,  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  for  one  year,  and  then  went  in 
to  the  like  institution  at  Andover,  Mass.,  where  he  finished 
his  preparatory  studies.  On  leaving  that  institution  he 
preached  for  a  few  Sabbaths  in  Townshend,  Mass.,  and  re 
ceived  a  call  from  the  Congregational  church  and  society 
there  to  become  their  pastor.  While  that  was  under  con 
sideration  Mr.  Williams,  by  request,  visited  Bradford,  Vt., 
where  he  was  very  cordially  received,  and  Avithiii  a  short 
time  unanimously  invited  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
church  and  society ;  then  destitute  by  reason  of  the  re 
cent  resignation  of  Rev.  Dr.  McKeen,  their  former  pas 
tor.  This  call  Mr.  Williams  concluded  to  accept;  and  the 
formal  dismission  of  the  retiring  pastor  and  the  ordination 
of  his  successor  were  performed  by  the  same  mutual 
Council,  November  21  and  22,  1866.  In  this  position  Mr. 
Williams  remained  for  six  years,  enjoying  in  a  high  de 
gree  the  esteem  and  love  of  his  people ;  during  which 
time  eighty-nine  members  were  added  to  the  church. 
Towards  the  close  of  that  period,  his  health  having  in 
some  measure  failed,  he  requested  a  permanent  release 
from  his  pastoral  labors,  to  which  his  people  reluctantlv 
consented ;  and  by  an  Ecclesiastical  Council,  called  for 
that  purpose,  he  was,  November  — ,  1872,  regularly  dis 
missed,  and  highly  recommended  to  the  churches,  and  the 
public,  as  a  minister  who  had  been  tried  and  found  faith 
ful.  He  directly  received  an  invitation  from  the  Congre 
gational  church  in  West  Rutland,  then  destitute,  to  come 
to  them  and  officiate  in  the  ministry  as  he  should  be  able 


66 

where,  with  improving  health,  arid  much  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  that  people,  he  has  been  actively  employed  for 
now  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  since  his  commencement 
there. 

Mrs.  Williams,  a  very  estimable  Christian  lady,  was  a  na 
tive  of  Castleton,  Vt.,  born  December  28,  1841  Her 
maiden  name  was  Ann  Eliza  Denison,  a  daughter  of  Ed 
ward  H.  and  Sarah  A.  Denison,  his  wife,  worthy  citizens 
of  that  place.  She  received  her  education  mainly  at  Cas 
tleton  Seminary  ;  taught  in  Middlebury  Seminary  for  La 
dies  two  years  ;  also  on  Long  Island,  and  in  Pennsylvania, 
for  different  periods ;  and  was  married  to  Rev.  J.  K.  Wil 
liams,  September  25,  18(56,  a  short  time  before  his  settle 
ment  in  the  parsonage  at  Bradford.  They  have  been 
blessed  with  four  bright  and  promising  children ;  the  first 
three  born  at  Bradford,  and  their  youngest  child  at  West 
Rutland,  namely : 

Charles  Adams  Williams  was  born  -  -  May    28,  1867. 

Edward  Denison  Williams  was  born  -  Sept.  15,  1868. 

Alice  Elizabeth  Williams  was  born  -  -  Dec.  27,  1870. 

Sarah  McKeen  Williams  was  born  -  -  Nov.  25,  1873. 

REV.  L.  H.  ELLIOTT. 

Lester  Hall  Elliott,  son  of  Dea,  Ezra  and  Eliza  (Hall) 
Elliott,  was  born  in  Croyden,  N.  H.,  August  1,  1835.  In 
the  winter  of  1840-41,  his  parents  removed  to  Jericho, 
Vt.,  where  he  spent  his  youth  upon  the  farm.  Being- 
anxious  to  obtain  a  good  education,  he  fitted  for  college, 
in  part,  at  Essex,  under  the  tuition  of  the  late  Rev.  A.  T. 
Deming,  and  finished  his  preparation  at  Johnson,  under 
Rev.  M.  T.  Parmalee,  subsequently  a  missionary  in  East 
ern  Turkey.  In  jthe  summer  of  1857,  he  entered  the  Uni 
versity  of  Vermont,  at  Burlington,  where  he  was  graduat 
ed  in  August,  1861.  Having  been  led  to  consecrate  him 
self  to  the  Redeemer's  service,  on  leaving  college  he 
commenced  his  theological  studies,  within  a  few  weeks, 


67 

at  the  Union  Seminary,  New  York  City,  where  he  com 
pleted  the  regular  course,  in  June,  1864.  He  had  been 
licensed  to  preach,  on  the  6th  of  April,  of  the  same  year, 
by  the  Brooklyn  Congregational  Association.  For  one 
year  from  the  following  September,  he  officiated  as  acting 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Colchester,  Vt. 
In  October,  1865,  he  commenced  his  ministerial  work 
at  Winooski,  where  he  was  ordained,  and  installed  pastor, 
May  2,  1866. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  of  the  same  year,  he  married 
Lois  M.  Tolman,  of  Greensboro,  Vt.,  who  died  February  6, 
1871.  Worn  out  by  anxious  watchings,  and  weighed 
down  by  sorrow  at  the  loss  not  only  of  his  wife,  but  two 
children,  his  health  had  so  failed  that  rest  seemed  abso 
lutely  demanded,  and,  at  his  request,  he  was  by  act  of 
Council,  with  due  recommendation,  released  from  his  pas 
toral  charge  at  Winooski,  January  30,1872.  He  spent 
the  subsequent  summer  at  his  old  home,  and  at  the  sea 
shore,  in  Massachusetts  ;  occasionally  supplying  destitute 
churches. 

On  the  15th  day  of  December,  1872,  Rev.  Mr.  Elliott, 
by  invitation,  preached  for  the  first  time  in  Bradford ; 
the  pulpit  having  been  recently  left  vacant  by  the  resig 
nation,  and  regular  dismissal,  of  the  late  beloved  pastor, 
Rev.  J.  K.  Williams,  on  account  of  a  partial  failure  of  his 
health.  The  Congregational  church  and  society  became 
directly  so  much  interested  in  the  services  of  Mr.  Elliott, 
that  he  was  engaged  as  acting  pastor  for  one  year  from 
January  1,  1873  ;  and,  at  the  expiration  of  that  period, 
the  engagement  was  renewed  for  another  year,  now  in 
progress. 

With  the  beginning  of  this  year,  a  series  of  Union  Prayer 
Meetings,  of  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  ministers 
and  people,  was  commenced  and  held  with  great  interest, 
evening  after  evening,  for  some  eight  or  ten  weeks,  and 
attended  by  manifest  evidences  of  the  gracious  presence 


68 

and  special  blessings  of  the  prayer-hearing  God.  The 
churches  have  been  refreshed,  and  numbers  brought, 
through  grace,  to  rejoice  in-  the  great  salvation.  During 
Rev.  Mr.  Elliott's  ministry,  from  June  1,  1874,  to  July  6, 
1874,  six  members  have  been  added  to  the  church  by  letter, 
and  twenty  by  profession. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  BRAD 
FORD. 

For  whatever  information  1  may  be  able  to  give  in  re 
gard  to  the  early  history  of  the  Methodist  church  and  its 
ministry  here,  I  am  chiefly  indebted  to  communications, 
received  several  years  ago,  from  Rev.  N.  W.  Aspinwall, 
then  stationed  at  Lyndon,  and  Rev.  Labaii  Clark,  at  that 
time  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  both  Methodist  ministers  of 
distinction,  both,  also,  long  residents  of  Bradford,  and  well 
acquainted  with  the  rise  and  early  progress  of  their  de 
nomination  here.  These  worthy  men  have  both  deceased 
within  a  few  years  past.  Mr.  Clark's  letter  was,  I  think, 
obtained  by  Mr.  Aspinwall,  expressly  for  my  use,  and  by 
him  forwarded  to  me.  It  was  dated  March  23,  1860. 

Mr.  Clark  wrote  :  "  I  am  not  only  the  oldest  living  mem 
ber  of  the  first  class  formed  in  Bradford,  but  was  intimate 
ly  associated  with  the  introduction  of  Methodism  in  the 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  Conferences. 

"  Your  first  inquiry  relates  to  the  Peckett  family.  Mr. 
Giles  Peckett  and  Bryant  Kay,  with  their  families,  emi 
grated  from  England,  and  landed  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
about  1774,  and  settled  at  North  Haverhill,  N.  H.  From 
thence  they  removed  to  Bradford,  Vt.,  then  called  More- 
town,  in  1779  or  1780.  Mr.  Peckett  had  two  children  by 
a  former  wife,  namely  :  James  and  Edward  ;  arid  four  by 
his  last :  John,  Margaret,  William  A.  and  Ellen — all  but 
Ellen  born  in  England.  Messrs.  Peckett  and  Kay,  and 
their  wives,  were  members  of  a  Methodist  society  in  En 
gland  ;  and  Mrs.  Peckett,  before  her  marriage,  was  for 


69 

three  years  Mr.  Wesley's  housekeeper,  and  hand-mate 
with  Mary  Bosenquet.  Her  maiden  name  was  Margaret 
Appleton."  Mr.  C.  wrqte  Mary,  but  the  Peckett  de 
scendants  have  it  as  above.  "The  country  being  new, 
Mr.  Peckett  opened  his  house  for  religious  meetings  of 
any  Christians,  ministers  or  people,  that  loved  the  Savior, 
regardless  of  their  denomination.  But  he  remained  stead 
fast  in  the  doctrine  as  taught  by  Mr.  Wesley,  arid  died 
triumphantly  in  the  faith,  though  he  did  not  live  to  see  a 
Methodist  preacher  in  America.  Mrs.  Giles  Peckett  was 
a  woman  of  superior  talent,  a  well-informed,  lively  Chris 
tian.  I  loved  her  from  my  boyhood.  Their  dwelling  was 
on  what  has  since  been  called  the  Low^er  Plain. 

"  In  1796,  Nicholas  Sneathen,  at  the  solicitation  of  John 
Langdon,  of  Vershire,  was  appointed  to  form  a  Circuit  in 
Vermont,  and  came  to  Bradford,  in  July,  179 7,  and  preach 
ed  once,  at  Mrs.  Peckett's,  which  Avas  the  first  Methodist 
sermon  ever  preached  in  that  town.  Rev.  Ralph  Willis- 
ton  was  his  successor  on  the  Vershire  circuit,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1798  preached  once  in  Bradford.  I  was  away 
from  home,  and,  hearing  of  his  appointment,  started  for 
home,  with  intention  of  hearing  his  sermon,  which  he 
closed  just  as  I  arrived  at  the  place !  but  I  heard  him  sing 
a  hymn,  and  pray,  and  my  mind  was  favorably  impressed. 

I  afterwards  went  to  Vershire,  fifteen  miles,  on  a  Sab 
bath  morning,  to  hear  him ;  where  I  received  my  first 
deep  conviction  of  sin,  and  resolved  on  seeking  my  soul's 
salvation.  With  an  anxious,  troubled  heart,  I  tried  to 
feel  my  way,  amidst  gross  darkness,  but  could  see  no 
light.  The  November  following,  Joseph  Crawford  came 
to  Mrs.  Peckett's,  and  preached,  on  l  Come,  for  all  things 
are  now  ready ; '  and  while  he  showed  that  the  provision 
of  the  gospel  made  for  our  salvation  is  full  and  free,  and 
that  we  must  come  by  faith,  as  helpless  sinners,  without 
waiting  till  we  are  any  better,  a  Hood  of  light  broke  in 
upon  my  darkness,  and  I  then  first  saw  how  a  sinner 


70 

could  be  saved  by  'grace.  Brother  Crawford  continued 
his  appointments^  once  in  two  weeks,  through  the  winter, 
with  success ;  and  formed  the  first  class  in  Bradford,  con 
sisting  of  five  members,  namely :  Margaret  Peckett,  Wm. 
A.  Peckett,  Laban  Clark,  Joseph  Clark,  and  Elizabeth 
Warren.  A  few  weeks  later,  Samuel  Aspinwall,  Mrs.  Jo 
seph  Olmstead,  and  her  two  daughters,  Sophia  and  Sarep- 
ta,  joined  the  class  ;  also,  Bryant  Kay  and  wife,  although 
living  at  the  distance  of  twelve  miles,  had  their  names 
attached  to  our  class. 

"  In  1779,  Joseph  Crawford  was  returned  to  our  cir 
cuit,  with  Elijah  Chichester.  Brother  Crawford  formed 
the  first  Methodist  society  in  Bradford,  which  gradually 
increased,  so  that  before  he  left,  in  1800,  we  had  about 
thirty  members.  All  of  Mother  Peckett's  children  be 
came  members,  and  she  lived  to  see  them  all  rejoicing  in 
a  free  salvation,  and  in  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  It  may 
not  be  amiss  to  remark,  here,  that  Bryant  Kay's  daughter 
married  Stephen  Morse,  of  North  Haverhill,  who  was  fa 
ther  of  the  late  Bryant  Morse,  a  Methodist  minister ;  and 
I  think  other  members  of  his  family  became  Methodists. 

"'  Mrs.  Margaret  Appleton  Peckett  died  in  Bradford,  in 
the  spring  of  1802,  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God, 
and  leaving  our  little  society  united  in  heart  and  mind, 
enjoying  communion  with  God,  and  fellowship  with  each 
other."  Thus  pleasantly  ends  the  narrative  of  Rev.  La- 
ban  Clark. 

For  some  fifteen  or  twenty  years  longer,  the  public 
worship  of  this  denomination  was  chiefly  at  the  school 
house,  near  where  the  Pecketts  had  lived.  In  those  days, 
probably,  110  other  man  did  so  much  to  promote  the  cause 
as  Joseph  Clark,  a  local  preacher,  of  very  limited  educa 
tion,  but  of  an  excellent  spirit,  His  first  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Fanny  Aspinwall,  and  his  second,  Su 
san  Bond,  were  both  excellent  Christian  women,  and 
heartilv  devoted  to  the  Redeemer's  service.  The  little 


71 

Church  gradually  increased  in  numbers  and  influence,  un* 
til  a  plain,  but  comfortable,  meeting  house,  in  1832,  was 
built,  in  the  same  locality,  but  considerably  nearer  the 
village.  This  house  was  occupied  for  public  worship  for 
about  sixteen  or  seventeen  years,  when,  the  society  hav 
ing  considerably  increased,  objection  was  made,  by  not' a 
few,  to  its  location,  and  then  it  was  owned  in  part  by  the 
Universalists,  who  had  helped  to  build  it,  and  had  a  stip 
ulated  right  to  occupy  it  with  preaching  of  their  own  sort 
a  certain  portion  of  the  time.  After  due  consideration, 
it  was  determined  to  sell  that  house,  by  no  means  an  old 
one,  and  to  build  a  new  and  more  commodious  one  in  the 
village.  The  new  house  was  built  in  the  year  1849,  in  a 
desirable  location,  nearly  opposite  to  the  Congregational 
house,  on  the  East  side  of  Main  street.  Their  first  house 
of  worship  was  sold,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1851,  taken 
down  and  rebuilt  in  the  village,  where  it  has  since  been 
occupied  for  mechanical  purposes  of  different  sorts.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  years,  the  new  meeting  house  was 
proved  to  be  too  small ;  and  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  while 
Rev.  H.  P.  Gushing  was  pastor,  it  was  sawn  asunder,  the 
section  most  remote  from  the  street  moved  back  several 
feet,  and  the  vacancy  filled  by  about  twenty  new  slips ; 
since  which  it  seems  to  have  been  sufficiently  capacious. 
The  next  year  the  General  Conference  of  Vermont  was 
held  in  it. 

The  growth  of  this  church,  like  that  of  the  Congrega- 
tionalists,  has  been  slow,  but  healthy.  Both  have  been, 
the  present  year,  1874,  blessed  with  a  season  of  refresh 
ing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  increased  by  the 
addition  of  several  new  members.  The  continued  and 
best  efforts,  and  combined  influence,  of  both  these  church 
es  are  needed  in  this  community.  The  present  number 
of  members  in  this  church  is  understood  to  be  about  nine 
ty,  with  a  class  of  twenty-five  awaiting  admission. 

According  to  Rev.  N.  W.  Aspinwall's  letter,  above  men- 


72 


tioned,  the  preachers  who  supplied  the  society  in  Brad 
ford  until  1834  were  appointed  to  what  was  called  the 
Vershire  or  Newbury  circuit,  and  no  one  confined  his 
labors  exclusively  to  this  society  :  though  occasionally 
there  was  alternate  preaching,  by  two  of  the  itinerants, 
the  same  year.  B.  R.  Hoyt,  in  1834,  was  the  first,  he 
says,  who  confined  his  Sabbath  labors  to  Bradford.  Rev. 
Mr.  Aspinwall  gives  a  list  of  the  ministers  who  supplied 
this  society,  from  its  origin  to  the  year  1839,  which  is  as 
follows : 


1796 
1797 
1798 
1799 

1800 
1801 

1802 
1803 
1804 

1805 

1806 

1807 

1808 

1809 

1810 

1811 

1812 

1813—1814, 

1815 

1816 

1817 

1818—1819. 

1820 

1821—1822, 

1823 

1824 

1825 

1826 

1827—1828, 

1829 

1830 


Nicholas  Sneathen, 
Ralph  Williston, 
•Joseph  Crawford, 
J.    Crawford  and  E. 
Chichester, 
Timothy  Dewey, 
Truman   Bishop   and 
Thomas  Branch, 
Solomon  Langdonand 
Paul  Dustm, 
Samuel    Draper    and 
Oliver  Beat, 
John  Roberts  and  Da 
vid  Goodspeed, 
Oliver  Beal, 
Elijah  Hedding, 
Benjamin  F.  Lambert 
Eleazer  Wells, 
Joseph  Steele, 
N.  W.  Stearns, 
Warren  Bannister, 
Erastus  Otis, 
Benjamin  R.  Hoyt, 
Amasa  Taylor, 
Jonathan  Worthen, 
Lewis  Bates, 
Salmon  AVinchester, 
Eleazer    Wells      and 
Win.  McCoy, 
Joel  Steele, 
J.  W.  McKee, 
John  Lord, 
Isaac  Barker, 
Paul  Richmond, 
A.  H.  Houghton, 
C.  W.  Levings, 
S.  Chamberlain, 


1831 
1832 
1833 
1834—1835, 

1836—1837, 
1838—1889, 
1840 

1841 

1842 
1843 
1844 

1845—1846, 

1847 

1848—1849, 

1850—1851, 

1852—1853, 

1854 

1855 

1856—1857, 

1858 

1859- -1860, 

1861—1862, 

1863—1864, 

1865 

1866 

1867—1868, 

1869 

1870 

1871 

1872—1873, 


1874 


Win.  D.  Cass, 
C.  Cowen, 
R.  Newell, 

B.  R.  Hoyt, 
R.  Bedford, 
E.  Adams, 

E.   B.    Fletcher    and 

A.  T.  Gibson, 

E.  B.     Fletcher   and 

Win.  Mann, 

Wrm.  Mann, 

E.  Brown, 

Haynes   Johnson  and 

H.  T.  Jones, 

Moses  Spencer, 

A.  T.  Billiard, 

P.  Mason, 

W.  J.Kidder, 

C.  R.  Harding, 
A.  J.  Copeland, 
C.  W.  Kellogg, 
A.  Hitchcock, 
Isaac  Me  Ann, 
H.  P   Cashing, 
H  K.  Cobb, 

A    L.  Pratt, 

J.  Fassett, 

J .  Le  Barron , 

H   F.  Forest. 

R.  W.  Harlow, 

C.  Tabor, 

H   T.  Jones, 

Supplied  by  Silas  C. 

and  J.   M'Cully  Ful. 

ton, 

J.  M'C.  Fulton. 


The  two  last  named  were  brothers,  and  preachers  of 
ability,  from   Nova   Scotia.     J.   McC.  Fulton,  the  elder 


73 

brother,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Allison  Wesleyan  College 
there.  He  spent  the  first  three  years  of  his  ministerial 
life  in  the  Bermuda  Islands ;  the  four  next  years  in  Noya 
Scotia;  one  year  at  Prince  Edward  Island,  and  from 
thence  came  to  Bradford,  to  take  the  place  of  his  brother, 
who  was  about  removing  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Thus  we  see  that  in  the  course  of  seventy-eight  years 
from  its  commencement  this  church  and  society  have  been 
favored  with  the  pastoral  care  and  labors  of  sixty -eight 
different  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

The  society,  at  this  date  have  a  pleasant  parsonage,  near 
their  commodious  meeting  house,  and  are  in  a  united  and 
prosperous  condition  ;  having  lately  shared  with  their  sis 
ter  church,  of  the  Congregational  order,  in  a  season  of  re 
freshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

For  the  list  of  members,  from  1834  to  1874, 1  have  been 
indebted  to  Mr.  Asa  Howard,  of  Bradford,  arid  Rev.  H. 
Eastman,  of  Jacksonville,  Vt. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  AT  WEST 
BRADFORD. 

This  second  Methodist  Church  in  Bradford  have  a  meet 
ing-house,  and  for  many  years  have  maintained  regular 
worship  in  the  Southwest  part  of  the  town.  For  the  fol 
lowing  historical  facts  I  have  been  indebted  to  Benjamin 
L.  Worthley,  an  intelligent  msmber  of  that  church.  He 
says,  "  The  first  class  at  this  place  Avas  formed  in  connec 
tion  with  the  church  at  the  village,  in  the  year  1831  or 
1832,  by  Rev.  William  I).  Cass;  and  remained  connected 
with  that  church  until,  in  1841,  set  off  by  Conference  in 
a  separate  charge,  and  Elliott  B.  Fletcher  was  appointed 
pastor.  That  year  a  small  house  of  worship  was  built  "— 
located  on  the  South  road,  about  four  miles  West  from  the 
village — "  and  a  few  years  afterward  a  parsonage."  The 
people  in  that  quarter  are  so  situated  that  the  mainten- 
6 


74 

ance  of  public  worship  among  themselves  is  at  once  for 
their  own,  and  the  public  benefit.  At  the  time  this  church 
and  society  became  a  separate  charge  there  was  a  mem 
bership  of  sixty.  The  same  year  a  Sabbath  School  was 
organized,  which  has  been  in  successful  operation  ever 
since.  The  present  number  of  church  members  is  sup 
posed  to  be  about . 

Mr.  Worthley  has  furnished  the  following  list  of  their 
successive  pastors,  with  the  dates  of  their  services : 

1841  Elliott  B.  Fletcher,       i    1856  Elliott  B.  Fletcher, 

1842  Zadoc  S.  Haynes,  j    1857—1858,  George  I.  Bailey, 

1843  Freeman  Q.Burrews,       1859  S.  W.   VVestgace, 


1844—1845,  Homer  T.  Jones, 

1846  L.  B.  Pettengill, 

1847  A.  T.  Bullard, 
1848—1849— 

1850  Otis  D unbar, 

1851  Joseph  House, 
1852—1853,  Wm.  B.  Howard, 

1854  Haynes  Johnson, 

1855  Smith  Aldrich, 


1860—1861,  Ardyn  Hay  ward, 

1862—1863,  Philo  H.  Carpenter, 

1864—1865,  Selden  B.  Currier, 

1866—1867— 

1868  George  F.  Wells, 

1869—1870,  M.  R.  Chase, 

1871  D.  F.  Palmer, 

1872  Aaron  Ball, 
1874  Caleb  Fales. 


THE   CHRISTIAN   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

There  is  still  another  religious  society,  in  the  north-west 
ern  quarter  .of  the  town,  and  adjacent  district  called  Gosh- 
en,  which  has  a  meeting  house,  and  has,  for  many  years, 
during  most  of  the  time  maintained  separate  public  wor 
ship.  Their  house  of  worship  is  about  three  miles  north 
west  from  the  village,  very  near  the  south  line  of  New-- 
bury.  This  church  was  organized  in  or  near  the  year 
1810.  Not  wishing  to  be  considered  sectarians,  they 
adopted  no  creed  but  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  each  one 
for  himself  understood  them,  and  chose,  at  first,  to  be 
called  Christians  ;  and  under  the  influence  of  a  new  or 
ganization,  and  of  zealous  preachers,  among  whom  the 
celebrated  Elias  Smith  was  prominent,  were,  for  some 
time,  quite  flourishing.  In  the  grant  of  this  township, 
made  in  trust  to  Smith,  Harvey  and  Whitelaw,  there  was 
a  reservation  of  300  acres  of  land  for  the  benefit  of  a  min- 


75 

ister,  or  ministers,  who  should  be  settled  in  said  town. 
By  agreement,  it  was  arranged  that  100  acres  of  this  land, 
or  the  avails  of  the  same,  should  go  to  the  benefit  of  the 
Baptist  (Calvinistic)  society,  then  in  a  prosperous  condi 
tion  in  this  town,  which,  however,  in  the  course  of  years 
became  entirely  extinct ;  when  the  Christian  church,  as 
suming  the  name  of  Christian  Baptist  Church,  came  into 
peaceable  possession  of  the  above  named  little  appropria 
tion.  The  two  hundred  acres  appropriated  to  the  Con- 
gregationalists  were  deeded,  as  has  elsewhere  been  said, 
to  their  first  minister,  the  Rev.  Win.  Kellogg.  Though 
it  would  seem  convenient  for  several  families,  enough  to 
constitute  a  respectable  congregation,  to  assemble  for 
worship  here,  yet,  owing  to  a  decline  in  ability,  if  not 
of  interest,  and  the  nearness  of  the  church  in  West  New- 
bury,  where  public  service  is  regularly  maintained,  this 
society  for  some  years  past  has  been  less  flourishing  than 
formerly,  arid  have  stated  preaching  for  only  a  part  of  the 
time. 

There  are  also  in  this  town  a  considerable  number  of 
Universalists,  who  have  had  occasional  preaching  at  the 
Town  Hall,  but  have  never  yet  had  a  meeting  house  of 
their  own. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  religious  privileges,  it  is  a  la 
mentable  consideration  that  there  are  individuals,  not  a 
few,  who  seldom  appear  in  any  worshiping  assembly,  ex 
cept  on  special  occasions,  virtually  saying,  "  What  is  the 
Almighty,  that  we  should  serve  Him  ?  "  Still,  by  perse 
vering  Christian  endeavors,  a  great  and  good  work  has 
been  accomplished,  and  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteous 
ness  is  destined  here  and  universally  to  prevail  and  tri 
umph. 


76 

CEMETERIES  IN  BRADFORD. 

"Our  dear  old  town  !     How  grand 
The  views  of  mountain  land 

Which  here  we  meet ! 
We  love  these  verdant  hills, 
These  vales  our  fathers  tilled, 
These  woods  the  wild  birds  filled 

With  carols  sweet. 

Our  native  town  !     How  dear 
Each  purling  brook  so  clear, 

Each  dale  and  steep — 
But  there's  a  dearer  spot 
Than  rock,  or  rill,  or  cot, 
Which  ne'er  can  be  forgot — 

Where  loved  ones  sleep." 

The  principal  Cemetery  in  Bradford  is  pleasantly  situ 
ated  about  a  mile  North  of  the  village,  East  side  of  the 
highway,  and  near  the  Western  bank  of  Connecticut 
River.  It  is  handsomely  enclosed,  and  contains  many, 
and  various  kinds  of,  monuments  of  the  dead  there  de 
posited.  The  first  burial  there  was  that  of  a  little  boy  by 
the  name  of  Andrew  McFarland,  July  25,  1770,  who  had 
been,  by  some  unfortunate  accident,  drowned  in  Wait's  Riv 
er,  near  its  confluence  with  the  Connecticut.  His  humble 
grave  among  the  pines  for  a  while  was  solitary  ;  but  in  the 
course  of  one  hundred  and  four  years  the  occupants  of 
that  quiet  resting  place  of  the  dead  have  become  more 
numerous  than  are,  at  present,  the  living  inhabitants  of 
the  entire  township.  There  was  formerly  a  Baptist  meet 
ing-house  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  grave  yard, 
which  more  than  half  a  century  since,  being  past  use,  was 
taken  down  and  removed.  The  ground,  for  a  long  time 
was  not  laid  out  in  any  regular  order,  and  every  family 
buried  their  dead  as  best  suited  themselves ;  but  within 
comparatively  a  few  years  past  the  Cemetery  has  been 
greatly  enlarged,  particularly  on  the  West  and  South,  and 
the  grounds  laid  out  as  they  should  be,  into  lots,  with  proper 
drive-ways  and  walks  between  them,  and  a  receiving 


77 


tomb,  to  accommodate  the  deposits  of  the  dead  in  the 
season  of  Winter,  has  been  duly  prepared.  A  great  im 
provement  has  been  made.  But  there  ought  to  be  some 
definite  arrangement  made  for  keeping  the  grounds,  and 
graves,  and  everything  pertaining  to  them,  in  due  and 
permanent  order,  at  the  expense  of  the  town,  from  profits 
arising  from  the  sale  of  the  new  lots,  or  under  the  direc 
tion  of  a  company  formed  for  that  express  purpose.  An 
account  of  the  number  of  interments  in  this  Cemetery, 
each  year,  from  January  1, 1802,  to  July  1, 1874,  a  period 
of  seventy-two  years  and  six  months,  has  been  kept  chief 
ly  by  Captain  James  McDuffee,  for  a  long  while  sexton, 
but  now  deceased,  from  which  the  following  statement  is 
an  abstract : 


YEAR. 
1802, 
1803, 
1804, 
1805, 
1806, 
1807, 
1808, 
1809, 
1810, 
1811, 
1812, 
1813, 
1814, 
1815, 
1816, 
1817, 
1818, 
1819, 
1820, 
1821, 
1822, 
1823, 
1824, 
1825, 
1826, 
1827, 
1828, 
1829, 
1830, 
1831, 
1832, 
1833, 
1834, 


.URIALS. 

YEAR. 

10. 

1839, 

12. 

1840, 

12. 

1841, 

12. 

1842, 

5. 

1843, 

6. 

1844, 

3. 

1845, 

9. 

1846, 

14. 

1847, 

13. 

1848, 

15. 

1849, 

21. 

185D, 

15. 

1851, 

12. 

1852, 

13. 

1853, 

11. 

1854, 

11. 

1855, 

13. 

1856, 

15. 

1857, 

11. 

1858, 

12. 

1859, 

18. 

1860, 

15. 

1861, 

5. 

1862, 

23. 

1863, 

14. 

1864, 

16. 

1865, 

15. 

1866, 

12. 

1867, 

16. 

1868, 

19. 

1869, 

23. 

1870, 

18. 

1871, 

No.  OF  BURIALS. 
29. 
11. 
18. 
42. 
29. 
27. 
17. 
13. 
31. 
20. 
30. 
30. 
26. 
29. 
31. 
34. 
37. 
17. 
23. 
22. 
22. 
29. 
33. 
22. 
49. 
46. 


33. 
25. 
24. 
29. 
27. 


78 


YEAR.  No.  OF  BURIALS, 

1835,  22. 

1836,  15. 

1837,  14. 

1838,  26. 


YEAR.  No.  OF  BURIALS. 

1872,  46. 

1873,  21. 

1874,  To  July  25,     19. 


Thus  we  see  that  the  number  buried  in  that  Cemetery 
from  January  1,  1802,  to  July  25,  1874,  was  one  thousand 
five  hundred  and  nine.  But,  as  the  place  was  occupied 
for  burial  from  July  25,  1770,  a  period  of  thirty-one  years 
and  a  half,  very  nearly,  before  the  above  correct  account 
begins,  we  are  left  in  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  whole 
number  there  interred.  If  we  allow  on  an  average,  even 
so  small  a  number  as  five,  each  year,  during  that  uncer 
tain  period,  and  it  was  probably  over  that,  the  whole 
amount,  from  the  beginning,  or  during  the  first  period  of 
one  hundred  and  four  years,  is  fully  one  thousand  six  hun 
dred  and  sixty-six  dead  bodies,  there  awaiting  the  voice 
of  the  Son  of  God  to  call  them  forth,  in  the  glorious 
morning  of  the  final  resurrection.- 

There  are  three  other  burial  places  in  the  town,  in 
which  there  have  been,  we  know  not  how  many  burials — 
one  near  the  Methodist  meeting-house,  on  the  South  road ; 
one  about  half  a  mile  South  of  Groshen  meeting-house,  on 
or  near  the  Greenleaf  place,  and  another  on  the  West  side 
of  Wright's  Mountain,  which  is  said  to  have  been  in  use 
for  nearly  one  hundred  years,  and  in  which  about  one 
hundred  of  the  dead  have  been  buried.  Their  retired 
resting  places  are  generally  indicated  by  headstones — 
though  not  all. 

"  Their  names,  their  years,  spelt  by  th'  unlettered  muse, 

The  place  of  fame  and  elegy  supply, 

And  many  a  holy  text  around  she  strews 

To  teach  the  rustic  moralist  to  die." 

The  population  of  the  town,  at  this  date,  1874,  is  esti 
mated  at  about  one  thousand  five  hundred.  In  some  past 
years  it  has  been  over  seventeen  hundred.  While  the  in 
habitants  and  business  of  the  village  have  increased,  on 
the  farms  there  has  been  a  decline.  Families,  and  conse 
quently  schools,  are  decidedly  smaller  now  than  formerly. 


79 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Educational  Matters — District  Schools — Funds  for  their  Support — 
Academy — Scientific  Society — Newspapers — Home  for  the  Desti 
tute— *Town  Hall — Manufactures — Photography — Banks — Vari 
ous  Business  of  the  Place,  with  Biographical  Sketches  of  Indi 
viduals  engaged  in  it — Fair  Grounds. 

In  the  grant  of  the  Township  of  Bradford,  alias  More- 
town,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Vermont,  January  25, 
1791,  to  Israel  Smith,  Alexander  Harvey,  and  James 
Whitelaw,  in  trust,  for  the  purposes  therein  specified,  an 
appropriation  of  300  acres  of  land,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  was  made,  and  set  apart  for  the  support  of  a 
school  in  said  town.  This  was,  subsequently,  understood 
to  mean  not  one  school,  merely,  but  the  district  schools 
of  the  township,  collectively  and  individually.  From  an 
early  period  of  the  settlement,  considerable  attention  was 
given  to  the  instruction  of  the  children,  in  schools,  sup 
ported  for  a  few  months  each  year  by  subscription  or 
taxation.  When  the  town  became  so  far  settled  as  to 
render  it  expedient,  it  was  divided  into  six  districts,  and 
for  a  long  time  the  sum  of  about  $300  was  raised  annual 
ly  for  the  support  of  schools  in  these  several  districts. 

In  March,  1812,  the  town  entered  into  a  contract  with 
Jonathan  Austin,  one  of  its  inhabitants,  to  lease  the  above- 
mentioned  300  acres  of  school  land  to  him,  his  heirs  and 
assigns,  as  long  as  wood  should  grow  or  water  run,  for 
the  consideration  of  the  interest,  at  six  per  cent,  per  an 
num,  paid  on  the  sum  of  $1666.67,  amounting  to  $100 
yearly,  at  the  same  time  allowing  the  said  Austin,  his 
heirs  and  assigns,  the  privilege  of  paying  the  above- 
named  principal,  in  three  equal  instalments,  at  his  or 
their  option.  These  instalments  were  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  paid,  and  the  claim  of  the  town  to  said  lands 
finally  alienated.  The  amount  thus  received  has  since 


80 

been  kept  on  interest,  and  the  avails  used  in  accordance 
with  the  original  design  of  the  appropriation. 

In  1826,  the  sum  of  $4355.99  was  received  from  the 
estate  of  Capt.  William  Trotter,  deceased,  to  be  held  as  a 
permanent  fund,  the  annual  interest  of  which  wa.s  to  be, 
and  must  ever  be,  appropriated  to  the  several  district 
schools  in  said  town — constituting,  at  six  per  cent,  inter 
est,  an  addition  yearly  of  $261.35  to  the  annual  income  of 
$100  from  the  other  source,  above  mentioned.  For  the 
circumstances  and  manner  in  which  the  toAvri  became 
possessed  of  this  property,  the  reader  is  referred  to  a 
sketch  of  the  life  of  Capt.  William  Trotter,  in  the  biograph 
ical  section  of  this  history  of  Bradford  and  its  inhabit 
ants. 

From  the  Treasurer  of  this  State,  in  the  year  1837,  this 
town  received,  in  three  equal  instalments,  the  sum  of 
$3,597.51,  as  its  portion  of  the  surplus  revenue  in  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States,  and  voted  to  appropriate 
perpetually  the  annual  interest  on  this  sum  to  the  support 
of  the  common  schools.  The  principal  was,  and  contin 
ues  to  be,  distributed,  in  the  way  of  loans,  to  various  in 
dividuals,  on  satisfactory  security  given.  From  this 
source  there  is  a  yearly  income  of  $215.85.  The  whole 
amount  of  school  funds  is  $9620.27,  and  the  annual  in 
come  therefrom,  for  the  support  of  schools,  $577.21,  which 
is  equitably  distributed  among  them,  and  the  large  defi 
ciency  requisite  to  sustain  them  is  supplied  by  district 
taxation.  According  to  the  report  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Jones, 
Superintendent  for  the  year  ending  March  31,  1874,  the 
number  of  school  districts  was  ten,  and  of  fractional  dis 
tricts  three  ;  and  of  scholars  who  have  attended  any  part 
of  the  year,  three  hundred  and  twenty-five.  The  whole 
number  in  town,  between  five  years  and  twenty  years  of 
age,  343.  The  amount  of  money  raised  on  the  grand  list 
by  the  school  districts,  $3100. 

The  two  school  districts  in  Bradford  village  have  uni- 


81 

ted,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Bradford  Academy,  entered 
into  the  graded  school  system,  consisting,  in  this  instance, 
of  two  equal  primary  departments,  an  intermediate,  and 
an  academic  department ;  to  all  of  which  scholars  belong 
ing  to  the  Union  district  are  admitted  without  personal 
charge.  Academic  students  from  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  above  dfstrict,  having  the  same  advantages  as  at  other 
like  institutions,  pay  accordingly. 

The  number  of  resident  pupils,  for  the  year  above  men 
tioned,  was  60. 

It  is  due  to  the  Rev.  Joshua  Britton,  a  minister  of  the 
Universalist  denomination,  who  came  here  from  Lyndon, 
in  1859,  and  remained  for  about  ten  years,  to  say  that, 
whuVhere,  he  took  much  interest  in  the  schools,  and  was 
by  the  town  chosen  Superintendent  in  1861,  and  for  the 
next  five  years  ;  and  each  year  prepared,  with  much  pains 
taking,  a  report,  which  by  the  town  was  printed  and  duly 
circulated.  He  removed  in  1869  to  Fort  Dodge,  Wiscon 
sin,  and  from  there  writes,  August  28,1874:  "During 
those  years  there  was  a  gradual  improvement  in  the  con 
dition  of  the  schools,  and  in  the  cause  of  education  gen 
erally."  "My  intercourse  with  the  teachers,  scholars,  and 
their  parents  and  guardians,  and  citizens  of  the  town,  was 
uniformly  of  a  pleasant,  agreeable  character." 

BRADFORD    ACADEMY, 

Was  incorporated  and  the  present  buildings  for  its  ac 
commodation  erected  in  the  year  1820  ;  in  the  spring  of 
1821,  went  into  successful  operation,  and  during  almost 
half  a  century  has  been  of  great  advantage  to  the  young- 
people  of  both  sexes  in  its  vicinity.  The  institution  re 
ceives  assistance  from  the  Orange  County  Grammar- 
School  lands,  to  the  amount  of  about  $100,  annually ;  and 
has  other  resources  yielding  about  $213  more,  indepen 
dent  of  the  avails  of  tuition.  The  invested  fund  belong- 


82 

ing  to  the  institution  is  about  $3,550.  Of  this  sum,  $450 
were  received  from  a  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Free  Ma 
sons  in  Bradford ;  $1000  bequeathed  by  Mr.  Nicholas  W. 
Aver;  and  about  $2100  bequeathed  by  Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Mer 
rill.  The  interest  of  the  sum  last  named  is  to  be  appro 
priated,  exclusively,  to  the  purchase  of  books  and  appa 
ratus  for  the  benefit  of  the  institution.  Valuable  collec 
tions  in  both  departments  have  been  made,  and  are  regu 
larly  increasing.  In  addition  to  the  means  furnished  by 
the  trustees,  the  Union  district  assumes  the  responsibility 
of  sustaining  the  school,  and  has  hitherto  given  the  prin 
cipal  and  his  assistants  a  liberal  support.  The  school  at 
present  under  the  care  and  instruction  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Martin,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  is  in  a  prosper 
ous  condition,  especially  as  the  high  school  of  this  village. 
Since  its  commencement,  academic  institutions  have  been 
started  in  several  of  the  neighboring  towns,  which  have, 
of  course,  withdrawn  from  us  a  considerable  sfcare  of  pub 
lic  patronage,  though  none  of  them,  at  this  time,  are  in  a 
flourishing  state.  The  first  Principal  of  this  Academy 
was  George  W.  Nesmith,  then  lately  from  College,  and 
since  well  known  as  the  Hon.  Judge  Nesmith,  of  Franklin, 
N.  H.  In  the  course  of  fifty-three  years  there  have  been 
a  succession  of  principals,  with  their  assistants,  generally 
well  qualified,  who  have  done  good  service  in  the  cause 
of  education  in  this  community. 

BRADFORD    SCIENTIFIC   ASSOCIATION. 

This  association,  originated  by  Levi  W.  Bliss,  Roswell 
Farnham,  Jr.,  Silas  McKeen,  George  Prichard,  and  Robert 
McKingsley  Ormsby,  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  Vermont,  November  4,  1857,  under 
the  name  of  the  Vermont  Geographical  Association  and 
Society  of  Natural  History ;  but  by  request  of  the  cor 
porators,  their  title  was  changed  and  established  by  the 


83 

same  authority,  November  24, 1860,  as  above  given.  The 
fee  for  admission  to  the  association  -was,  for  some  years, 
$10 ;  but  Avas  subsequently  reduced  to  $5  ;  and  the  num 
ber  of  the  members  has  been  gradually  increasing.  From 
its  origin  the  members  have  been  in  the  habit  of  occasion 
ally  meeting,  and  during  the  Winter  months  generally 
once  in  two  weeks,  to  attend  to  the  reading  of  articles 
previously  assigned,  on  some  one  or  more  of  the  innum 
erable  topics  included  within  the  circle  of  useful  knowl 
edge,  or  interesting  speculation ;  and  in  the  lack  of  such 
original  articles,  to  discuss  any  matter  of  interest  which, 
from  reading  or  observation,  may,  at  the  time,  be  intro 
duced.  Occasionally  public  lectures  have  been  read  or 
procured.  A  cabinet  of  minerals,  specimens  of  natural 
history,  and  various  artificial  curiosities  have  been  com 
menced  ;  and  a  good  beginning  of  a  valuable  library 
made. 

The  Association  has  been  favored  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  with  the  donation  of  valuable  books ;  also  by 
members  of  Congress,  and  various  geological  and  literary 
friends  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  in  like  manner. 
Recently  five  large  volumes,  comprising  the  results  of  the 
Geological  Survey  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  have  been  re 
ceived  as  a  donation  from  the  conductor  of  that  great  un 
dertaking,  Amos  H.  Worthen,  a  native  of  Bradford,  and 
an  honorary  member  of  this  Association. 

The  Association  has  also  lately  been  increased  in  num 
bers  and  influence  by  receiving  into  its  corporation  the 
several  members  of  the  Bradford  Agricultural  Society, 
with  their  library,  consisting  of  about  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  volumes,  in  addition  to  their  previous  collection 
of  books. 

The  officers  of  the  Association  for  1874,  are, 
John  B.  Ormsby,  M.  D.,  President. 
Roswell  Farnham,  Esq.,  A.  M.,  Vice   President. 
Gregory  B.  Durgan,  Secretary. 


84 

K.  Farnham,  Esq.,  Librarian. 

Charles  H.  Harding,  Treasurer. 

W.  T.  Dunmore,  Esq.,  A.  B.,  \ 

Wm.  H.  Carter,  M.  D.,  [-Executive  Com. 

R.  Farnham,  Esq.,  ) 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  here,  that  the  first  artificial 
globes,  terrestrial  and  celestial,  known  to  have  been  man 
ufactured  in  America,  were  made  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  by 
James  Wilson,  Esq.,  about  the  year  1813  or  1814;  who 
also  subsequently  established,  in  company  with  his  sons, 
a  factory  of  the  same  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  for  years  did 
a  somewhat  extensive  business  there.  Wilson's  globes 
are  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  in  point  of  correctness 
and  finish  suffered  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  best 
European.  Mr.  Wilson  died  at  Bradford,  March  26,  1855, 
in  the  ninety-third  year  of  his  age.  See  the  biographical 
sketch  of  him  -in  this  volume. 

NEWSPAPERS   IN    BRADFORD. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  this  town  was  styled 
The  American  Protector;  Whig  in  politics,  commenced 
in  1843,  by  A.  B.  F.  Hildreth,  its  proprietor  and  editor. 
In  the  course  of  four  or  five  years  this  paper  became 
rather  neutral  in  politics,  and  its  name  was  changed  to  the 
Vermont  Family  Gazette.  This  was  continued  to  about  the 
first  of  October,  1852,  when  it  was  again  changed  to- the 
White  River  Advertiser,  and  removed  to  White  River 
Junction. 

While  Mr.  Hildreth  was  publishing  his  paper  in  Brad 
ford,  he  made  up  from  its  miscellaneous  matter  a  semi 
monthly  magazine,  called  The  Green  Mountain  Gem, 
which  had  a  considerable  circulation  in  this  vicinity,  but 
ceased  its  existence  with  that  of  the  Family  Gazette. 

In  1851,  The  Northern  Inquirer  was  commenced:  Dr. 
L.  W.  Bliss,  publisher,  and  R.  McK.  Ormsby,  editor.  The 


85 

press  was  purchased  by  Ormsby,  who  was  a  Whig  of  the 
Webster  and  Clay  school,  for  the  purpose  of  advocating 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Webster  for  the  Presidency.  On 
the  failure  of  Mr,  Webster  to  receive  the  nomination  at 
the  Baltimore  Convention,  the  control  of  the  Inquirer  was 
resigned  for  a  while,  to  other  hands.  From  October,  1852, 
till  March,  1853,  it  was  published  by  Messrs.  Brown  & 
Grow,  A.  C.  Brown  editor,  and  was  an  advocate  of  Gen 
eral  Scott's  election  to  the  Presidency,  after  which  Mr. 
Ormsby  again  took  charge  of  it,  until  about  the  first  of 
December,  1854. 

The  Inquirer  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party  in  this  State,  and  soon  after  the  dis 
solution  of  the  old  Whig  party  was  sold  by  Mr.  Ormsby 
to  0.  A.  Bowe,  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Bradford 
Inquirer.  Mr.  Bowe  published  but  a  few  numbers,  when, 
early  in  the  year  1855,  he  conveyed  his  interest  in  the 
publication  to  L.  J.  Mclndoe,  who  continued  it  under  the 
name  of  the  Orange  County  Journal.  This  journal  was 
Republican  in  politics,  and  advocated  the  election  of  John 
C.  Fremont  to  the  Presidency.  In  November,  1857,  Mr. 
Mclndoe  again  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  thd 
Aurora  of  the  Valley,  and  having  purchased  the  Windsor 
Journal,  united  the  two  papers  in  one,  but  under  differ 
ent  names,  to  accommodate  the  two  different  sections  ol 
its  patrons.  The  Aurora  was  only  nominally  published 
at  Bradford,  the  editorial  and  local  matters  for  this  town 
being  furnished  by  R.  Farnham,  Esq.,  associate  editor. 
The  politics  of  the  Aurora  were  decidedly  Republican. 
This  paper  was  published  at  Windsor,  and  most  of  its  sec 
ular  matter  the  same  as  contemporaneously  appeared  not 
only  in  the  Windsor  Journal,  but  also  in  the  Vermont 
Chronicle. 

The  National  Telegraph  was  commenced  at  Bradford 
in  1856,  by  Rev.  Wm.  M.  Mann,  a  worthy  Methodist  min 
ister,  and  its  publication  continued  by  him  till  his  decease, 


86 

in  1858.  The  publication  was  then  suspended  for  some 
time,  when  the  press  was  bought  by  Dr.  Lucius  C.  Butler, 
and  a  Democratic  paper,  styled  the  Telegraph,  was  pub 
lished  by  him,  advocating  the  policy  of  that  party,  and 
aiming  to  support  the  administration  of  President  Bu 
chanan  ;  but  was  not  of  long  duration. 

A  semi-monthly  sheet,  called  The  Green  Mountain 
Farmer,  devoted  to  Agriculture,  was  commenced  in 
March,  1852,  by  L.  R.  Morris,  Esq.,  but  within  the  year 
was  discontinued  for  want  of  adequate  support. 

In  June,  1866,  A.  A.  Earle  issued  here  the  first  num 
ber  of  his  National  Opinion,  a  very  decidedly  Republican 
paper,  and  in  about  six  months  sold  out  to  D.  W.  Cobb, 
who  had  been  connected  with  Earle  in  the  publication,  who 
subsequently  continued  it  for  over  seven  years  longer. 
This  paper  strongly  advocated  the  election,  once  and 
again,  of  U.  S.  Grant  to  the  Presidency,  and  the  policy 
of  the  Republican  party  generally. 

In  the  Spring  of  1874  Mr.  Cobb  transferred  his  interest 
in  this  paper  to  the  Orange  County  Publishing  Associa 
tion,  when,  under  their  patronage,  Mr.  Benjamin  F.  Stan- 
ton,  a  gentleman  of  experience  in  such  business,  succeed 
ed  as  publisher  and  editor ;  the  general  character  of  the 
paper  remaining  the  same,  but  its  name  being  again 
changed,  this  time  to  Bradford  Opinion. 

HOME   FOR   THE   DESTITUTE. 

In  the  Spring  of  1853  a  farm,  with  convenient  build 
ings  on  the  same,  Avas  purchased  by  the  Town  for  the  ac 
commodation  of  its  poor,  at  the  expense  of  $1,700.  Pay 
ment  was  made  by  an  appropriation  to  that  amount  from 
the  school  fund — the  interest  being  still  paid  and  applied, 
as  before,  to  the  support  of  schools.  This  farm,  originally 
owned  by  Elisha  Newhall,  lies  about  one  mile  South  of. 
the  Town  House,  in  a  rather  retired  location,  and  is  very 


87 

well  adapted  to  its  intended  use.  Some  man,  with  his 
wife,  is  from  year"  to  year,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Overseer  of  the  Poor,  employed  to  take  charge  of  the  es 
tablishment,  and  due  care  of  the  beneficiaries,  who  have 
never  been  numerous.  This  method  of  providing  for  the 
poor  is  altogether  preferable  to  the  old  way  of  setting 
them  up  yearly  at  public  auction,  to  be  distributed  in  de 
tail  to  the  lowest  bidders.  This  experiment,  after  the 
lapse  of  some  twenty  years,  is  considered  in  a  good  de 
gree  satisfactory.  The  estimated  value  of  this  property, 
as  reported  to  the  Town-meeting,  in  March,  1874,  was: 
Real  Estate,  $2,050  ;  Household  furniture,  $450,21 ;  other 
personal  property,  $550;  the  amount,  Three  Thousand, 
Four  Hundred  and  Fifty-eight  Dollars  and  Twenty-one 
Cents. 

THE   TOWN   HALL. 

The  ground  on  which  this  building  stands,  near  the 
South-west  end  of  the  village,  was  given  for  this  purpose 
by  Charles  C.  P.  Baldwin,  for  some  years  High  Sheriff  of 
Orange  County,  and  United  States  Marshal  for  the  dis 
trict  of  Vermont.  The  site  was  very  near  to  that  of  his 
own  residence.  The  building — a  commodious  two  story 
edifice,  with  a  cupola — was  erected  in  the  year  1857,  at 
the  cost  of  $2,681.21,  obtained  by  direct  taxation.  This 
Town  House,  or  Town  Hall,  as  it  is  now  commonly  called, 
is  used,  not  only  for  town  meetings,  but  for  public  lectures, 
occasional  preaching,  school  exhibitions  shows,  levees, 
courts,  and  all  such  like  purposes. 

MANUFACTURES   AND    TRADES. 

Though  we  have  not  much  of  this  sort  to  boast  of,  yet 
the  fine  water  privileges  afforded  by  Wait's  River,  as  it 
passes  through  the  village,  have  been  and  are  of  great 
advantage,  and  have  contributed  to  make  it  quite  a  busy 
place,  for  one  of  its  size. 


88 

The  first  grist-mill  in  this  town  was  built  by  Col.  John 
Peters,  father  of  our  well-remembered  Andrew  B.  Peters, 
Esq.,  on  the  lowest  fall  in  Wait's  River,  near  where  the 
direct,  road  from  Newbury  to  Fairlee  still  crosses  said 
river,  and  there  a  succession  of  mills  of  the  same  sort, 
greatly  to  the  public  accommodation,  has  since  been  main 
tained,  for  over  a  hundred  years.  There  have  been,  of 
course,  a  succession  of  proprietors  ;  and  as  new  mills  have 
succeeded  the  old,  new  improvements  and  facilities  for 
increased  business  have  been  introduced.  The  present 
valuable  brick  grist-mill  on  that  site,  was  erected  by  Mr. 
Asa  Low,  about  the  year  1848,  and  is  now  owned  by 
Messrs.  J.  B.  Peckett,  Esq.,  of  this  place,  and  White,  of 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  is  doing  a  profitable  business.  There 
has  also  been  from  the  early  settlement  of  the  place  a 
succession  of  saw-mills,  in  close  proximity,  immediately 
below  the  grist-mills,  supplied  with  their  motive  power 
from  the  same  source,  in  which  a  large  amount  of  timber, 
boards,  and  other  lumber,  has  been  sawed.  On  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  same  waterfall,  there  has  long  been  a 
factory  for  preparing  scythe  stones — that  is,  stones  for 
sharpening  scythes  ;  the  quarry  from  which  the  material 
is  taken  being  in  Piermont,  N.  H.;  also  a  planing  mill ; 
and  factory  of  mackerel  kits,  for  transportation ;  and  of 
late  the  manufacture  of  butter  boxes  has  been  commenc 
ed  by  Henry  D.  Brown  &  Co.,  with  fair  prospects.  For 
some  notice  of  the  cotton  factory,  erected  on  the  same 
site  by  Capt.  Trotter,  see  his  memorial. 

At  the  next  waterfall,  some  eight  or  ten  rods  above 
this,  there  is  another  dam,  and  a  large  stone  building  for 
the  manufacture  of  paper,  of  various  sorts  and  qualities, 
but,  of  late,  especially  of  wrapping  paper,  in  which  a 
great  amount  of  business  has  been  done.  The  manufac 
ture  of  paper  was  commenced  here  between  sixty  and 
seventy  years  ago,  and,  with  the  exception  of  occasional 
interruptions  by  floods  and  other  disasters,  has  been  stead- 


89 

ily  carried  on  to  the  present  time.  This  stone  building 
was  erected  some  thirty  years  since,  by  Mr.  Asa  Low, 
who  was  long  the  owner  and  manager  of  the  establish 
ment,  which  has  recently,  July,  1874,  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  John  Anderson,  of  Boston. 

About  twenty  rods  still  further  up  the  river  is  another 
fail,  on  which  a  dam  was  long  since  erected,  and  where 
mills  and  machinery  of  various  sorts  have  long  been  in 
successful  operation.  There  a  saw-mill,  greatly  to  the 
benefit  of  the  early  settlers,  was  built  by  Benjamin  Bald 
win,  the  father  of  the  Baldwin  race  in  this  town,  in  the 
year  1774;  which  was  succeeded  by  another,  built  and 
managed  by  his  son,  Capt.  Benj.  P.  Baldwin,  and  while 
timber  was  plenty  a  large  business  in  the  way  of  its  man 
ufacture  was  there  carried  on  tor  about  ninety  years.  Im 
mediately  below  the  saw-mill  in  this  locality,  a  grist-mill 
was  long  since  erected  by  B.  P.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  and,  by 
succession,  under  the  management  of  different  owners,  a 
mill  of  this  sort  has  there  been  in  successful  operation 
to  the  present  time.  The  valuable  mill  now  doing  busi 
ness  there  is  owned  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Bowen,  lately  of  Pier- 
mont,  N.  H. 

On  or  immediately  above  the  site  of  the  old  saw-mill, 
which  has  passed  away,  Mr.  R.  R.  Aldrich  has  a  factory 
for  the  making  of  mackerel  kits,  on  a  large  scale,  for  trans 
portation  ;  also  of  pails,  including  all  the  requisite  appa 
ratus  for  doing  such  business  with  facility.  The  timber 
extensively  used  for  this  purpose  has  been  chiefly  pine, 
of  the  second  growth,  so  called,  which  is  fast  disappear 
ing  from  the  surrounding  country.  The  next  factory, 
above  the  last  named,  is  that  of  W.  H.  Leavitt  &  Son,  for 
making  doors,  sash  and  blinds,  sawing,  planing,  and  get 
ting  out  house  finish  generally,  special  attention  being- 
paid  to  getting  out  stair  rails,  of  all  styles. 

Within  a  few  rods,  further  up  the  river,  we  come  to  the 
iron  foundry.  Mr.  Horace  Strickland,  the  owner  of  this 
7 


90 

foundry,  came  to  this  town  from  Western  New  York  in 
1824,  and  commenced  the  furnace  business  about  1834,  by 
assisting  a  man  by  the  name  of  Sexton,  who  had  previ 
ously  started  the  business,  furnishing  him  with  iron,  etc., 
for  a  while,  but  finally,  by  agreement,  taking  the  whole 
concern  into  his  own  hands.  From  time  to  time  he  has 
added  to  his  facilities  for  doing  work,  until  now,  in  1874, 
he  has  in  addition  to  his  foundry  a  blacksmith  shop,  a 
wood-shop,  a  large  lot  of  patterns,  and  machinery,  suffi 
cient  for  making  all  kinds  of  mill  work,  together  with 
farming  tools,  of  various  kinds.  For  several  years  a  some 
what  extensive  business  has  been  done,  especially  in  the 
manufacture  of  ploughs,  of  different  sorts. 

In  marble  work,  a  somewhat  extensive  business  has 
been  carried  on  for  several  years  by  Mr.  George  Jen 
kins,  and  a  few  words  in  regard  to  him  arid  his  family  will 
not  in  this  place  be  inappropriate.  He  was  born  in  this 
town,  a  son  of  Mr.  Elijah  Jenkins,  then  living  here,  but 
now  in  Piermont,  N.  H.  Mr.  George  Jenkins  married 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Crook,  of  Piermont,  April  17,  1850.  They 
have  had  three  sons,  two  of  whom  died  in  childhood.  The 
third,  Charles  E.,  now  in  infancy,  is  healthful  and  promis 
ing.  They  have  also  an  adopted  son,  Franklin,  some  two 
or  three  years  of  age ;  also  a  daughter,  Ella,  their  eldest 
child  now  living.  The  family  have  a  pleasant  residence, 
in  the  central  part  of  the  village. 

Mr.  Jenkins  commenced  working  in  marble  here  in 
1857,  and  has  gone  on  successfully  for  about  seventeen 
years.  The  marble  is  obtained,  mainly,  from  West  Rut 
land,  Yt.,  though  a  considerable  part  is  imported  from  It 
aly.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  imported  differs  very 
little  in  price  from  from  the  domestic  of  about  the  same 
quality.  Both  are  said  to  be  nearly  twice  as  dear  as  they 
were  twenty  years  ago.  Mr.  Jenkins'  sales  of  work  done 
in  Bradford  are  understood  to  be,  on  an  average,  about 
$7000  dollars  worth  annually.  He  has  another  establish- 


91 

ment  of  the  same  sort,  at  St.  Johnsbury,  where  more 
than  twice  that  amount  of  work  is  annually  performed  and 
sold. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Griffin,  designer  and  engraver,  who  wrought 
in  marble  for  Mr.  Jenkins  about  thirteen  years,  has  re- , 
cently  commenced  a  like  business  on  his  own  account,  in 
this  village,  and  advertised  himself  as  ready  to  do  all 
kinds  of  cemetery  work.  There  may  be  sufficient  em 
ployment  for  both. 

The  manufacture  and  sale  of  household  furniture,  and 
of  coffins,  is  carried  on  by  George  L.  Butler ;  and,  also, 
by  A.  P.  Shaw. 

Carriage  making  and  repairing  is  done  by  George 
Brown ;  and  work  in  tin,  sheet-iron  and  zinc  by  B.  T. 
Pillsbury,  who  also  deals  in  wooden  ware,  tin  and  iron 
ware,  lead  pipe,  and  stoves  of  various  sorts. 

Shoe  making  and  mending  is  done  by  Charles  Swan. 
A  plentiful  supply  of  boots  and  shoes,  manufactured  abroad, 
is  kept  for  sale  in  several  stores. 

Of  tailors'  shops,  we  have  two.  Mr.  L.  D.  Livingstone, 
a  good  tailor  and  worthy  man,  lately  come  here,  carries 
on  his  business  in  connection  with  Bailey  &  Co.'s  cloth 
ing  store. 

Mr.  Crowell  Hatch  established  himself  as  a  tailor  here 
May  21,  1833 ;  and,  after  the  lapse  of  forty  years,  is  still 
diligently  occupied  in  furnishing  the  needy  with  desira 
ble  garments.  He  was  a  native  of  Portland,  Maine  ;  born 
there  August  13,  1810.  He  first  married  Miss  Sophronia 
Stearns,  March  31,  1836,  who  died  September  25,  1865. 
He  married  Mrs.  Jane  Freeman,  his  present  wife,  July 
11,  1869.  Mr.  Hatch  has  long  been  a  useful  member  of 
this  community. 

The  millinery  business,  with  stores  of  goods  annexed? 
is  carried  on  by  Mrs.  C.  H.  Curtis,  Mrs.  George  Andross, 
Mrs.  C.  S.  Stevens,  and  Mrs.  A.  T.  Shaw  ^  and  dress-mak 
ing  by  several  ladies. 


92 

Of  clock,  watch  and  jewellers'  establishments  there  are 
three.  One  belongs  to  J.  A.  Hardy,  and  was  the  first 
opened  in  this  place  ;  one  to  J.  M.  Warden,  telegrapher  ; 
and  the  other  to  C.  H.  Harding,  postmaster ;  all  skillful 
and  trustworthy  in  their  business. 

The  harness  makers7  business  is  carried  on  by  Mills  0. 
Barber,  Esq.,  and  H.  B.  Kennedy.  For  blacksmiths,  we 
have  S.  E.  &  M.  A.  Davis,  S.  B.  Kennedy,  and  E.  G.  Ho- 
bert.  Carpenters,  E.  R.  Aldrich,  Geo.  W.  Fair,  and  An 
drew  Sargent.  Masons,  Geo.  F.  Morris,  and  Wm.  East 
man.  Painters,  Wm.  S.  Nelson,  and  E.  T.  Clark.  Manu 
facturer  and  dealer  in  patent  medicines,  C.  C.  Doty.  Ma 
chinists  and  millwrights,  H.  Gray  &  Co.  The  Gray  Union 
water  wheel  is  recommended  by  those  who  have  tried  it 
as  one  of  rare  excellence. 

At  Bradford  Center,  on  Wait's  River,  there  is  a  saw 
mill,  and  the  business  of  carding  wool  and  of  cloth  dress 
ing  has  been  carried  on  for  many  years.  At  this  water 
privilege,  the  manufacture  of  wooden  bowls,  from  suitable 
native  timber,  is  the  only  establishment  of  the  sort  in 
this  vicinity.  They  are  turned  out  with  great  facility. 

There  is  still  another  sawmill,  near  the  northern  line  of 
the  township,  on  Roaring  Brook ;  the  structure  of  its 
dam  being,  apparently,  copied  from  remnants  of  dams 
constructed  long  ago  by  the  beavers. 

PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Mr.  E.  H.  Allen,  our  highly  esteemed  Photographer, 
was  a  native  of  Rindge,  N.  H.,  born  September  28th, 
1831.  He  came  to  Bradford  in  July,  1858,  and  fitted  up 
for  his  business  a  gallery  in  J.  A.  Hardy's  building,  where 
he  has  since  exercised  his  ,art  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 
many  patrons,  and  to  his  own  advantage. 

He  married  first,  Miss  Arvilla  Blake,  of  Rindge,  No 
vember  1,  1853;  to  whom  was  born,  October  8,  1856,  a 


93    - 

daughter,  Idella  M.,  who  died  September  10,  1864,  in  the 
eighth  year  of  her  age.  Mrs.  Allen,  a  very  amiable  lady, 
after  a  long  illness,  patiently  endured,  died  at  Bradford, 
March  .30,  1870,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years.  Mr. 
Allen  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Maria  E.  Blake, 
also  of  Rindge,  N.  H.,  with  whom,  at  this  date,  he  is  hap 
pily  living. 

BANKS. 

The  first  Bank  in  Bradford  was  chartered  by  the  Legis 
lature  at  its  session  in  1853.  The  stock-holders  held  their 
first  meeting  for  the  election  of  directors  February  17, 
1854,  when  the  following  named  gentlemen  were  chosen : 
George  W.  Prichard,  George  P.  Baldwin,  Hubbard  Wright, 
Henry  Keyes,  Stephen  Thomas,  Abijah  Howard,  Jr.,  and 
Reuben  Page. 

The  Directors,  at  their  first  meeting,  made  choice  of 
George  W.  Prichard  as  President,  and  Benjamin  T.  Blodg- 
ett  as  Cashier.  Colonel  Prichard  continued  President 
during  the  existence  of  the  Bank,  and  Mr.  Blodgett 
Cashier  till  his  decease,  in  1863,  when  George  W.  N.  May, 
January  6,  1864,  was  elected  Cashier,  and  continued  till 
his  resignation,  December  31, 1864,  when  John  W.  Batch- 
elder,  Esq.,  was  elected  to  that  office.  The  affairs  of  the 
Bank,  in  issuing  and  redeeming  its  bills,  and  transacting 
the  various  business  of  such  an  institution,  went  on  with 
ordinary  prosperity  until  the  new  banking  laws  of  the 
General  Government  were  producing  a  change  in  the 
management  of  such  matters,  when,  at  a  general  meeting 
of  the  stockholders,  October  22,  1864,  over  two-thirds 
voted  that  it  was  "  expedient  to  close  up  the  affairs  of 
said  Bank,  and  to  surrender  the  charter  of  the  same  at  an 
early  day."  The  charter  was  for  twenty  years,  and  the 
Bank  had  then  been  doing  business  but  a  few  months  over 
one  half  of  that  time.  The  complete  redemption  of  the 


94 

currency,  and  settlement  of  all  the  affairs  of  the  Bank,  to 
general  satisfaction,  and  without  loss  to  any,  required 
three  or  four  years  longer,  and  was  duly  effected. 

The  present  "  Bradford  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Com 
pany,"  chartered  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  November  14, 
1870,  was  duly  organized  March  11,  1871,  by  electing 
Albert  Bailey,  L.  F.  Hale,  Joseph  W.  Bliss,  A.  P.  Gould, 
and  Charles  G.  Smith  a  Board  of  Trustees. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  this  Board,  March  15,  1871,  Al 
bert  Bailey  was  elected  President,  and  L.  F.  Hale,  Treas 
urer,  of  said  corporation. 

The  capital  stock  of  this  corporation  is  Fifty  Thousand 
Dollars ;  which  amount  has  been  paid  in,  and  its  affairs 
have  been  conducted  with  success,  and  to  general  satis 
faction,  with  one  lamentable  exception,  owing  exclusively 
to  the  rascality  of  a  clerk,  of  previously  fair  reputation, 
whom  the  trustees  had  the  misfortune  to  employ.  It 
would  be  a  sad  story  to  tell ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  on  the 
night  of  March  24,  1874,  this  young  man  absconded,  tak 
ing  with  him,  according  to  a  subsequently  published  state 
ment,  $2,900  in  Government  Bonds,  $200  in  gold,  and 
$1,135  in  currency  belonging  to  the  Bank,  and  more  than 
$500  from  the  private  box  of  the  Treasurer.  He  was  pur 
sued,  arrested,  and  brought  back,  when  the  principal  part 
of  the  above  amount  was  recovered ;  but  when,  also,  it- 
appeared  that  he  had  previously  long  been  engaged  in 
peculation,  in  the  course  of  which  he  had  abstracted 
from  the  Bank  many  small  sums,  amounting  in  the  whole 
to  $2,250  more,  then  gone  beyond  recovery,  the  young 
man  was  by  due  authority  sent  to  the  county  jail,  but  af 
ter  a  few  weeks  liberated  under  bonds  to  appear  at  the 
time  and  place  appointed  for  his  trial.  The  session  of 
the  court  before  which  he  is  bound  to  appear  has  not  yet, 
August,  1874,  occurred.  Let  his  deplorable  example  be  a 
warning  to  others  in  like  circumstances  of  temptation. 
The  Bank,  notwithstanding  these  losses,  and  a  narrow  es- 


95 

cape  from  fire  at  the  time  of  their  principal  occurrence, 
is  at  present  considered  in  a  sound  and  prosperous  con 
dition. 

THE  BRADFORD  FAIR  GROUNDS. 

This  locality,  near  the  North  end  of  the  village,  is  ad 
mirably  adapted  to  the  use  to  which  it  has  for  several 
years  been  appropriated.  The  grounds,  which  are  suffi 
ciently  spacious,  and  enclosed  by  a  high  and  close  board 
fence,  the  boards  set  perpendicularly,  consist  of  three  sec 
tions.  First,  the  lower  level,  of  hard  soil,  provided  with  a 
carefully  prepared  circular  track  of  precisely  half  a  mile  in 
circumference,  for  trying  the  speed  of  horses,  and  various 
equestrian  exercises  ;  with  a  high  standby  its  side,  next  the 
hill,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  judges  and  public  speak 
ers,  and  musicians.  The  interior  of  this  circle  is  adapted 
to  the  exhibition  of  cattle  of  various  sorts,  and  especially 
teams  of  oxen.  From  that  ground  a  few  years  ago,  on 
one  of  these  occasions,  a  balloon  arose  with  its  aeronauts 
and  sailed  safely  away  over  the  high  hills  of  New  Hamp 
shire,  and  lighted  near  the  Southern  border  of  Maine. 

The  second  division,  East  side  of  the  first,  and  elevated 
about  fifty  feet  above  it,  affords  not  only  a  full  view  of 
the  lower,  but  of  the  village,  the  neighboring  valley  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  and  of  the  mountains  of  New  Hamp 
shire  beyond  it.  This  beautiful  plateau  is  encircled  with 
stalls  for  the  various  classes  of  animals  on  exhibition,  and 
contains  a  spacious  Floral  Hall,  with  ample  accommoda 
tions  within  and  around  it  for  the  display  of  the  choicest 
productions  of  the  farms,  gardens,  orchards,  and  dairies, 
with  domestic  manufactures  of  all  sorts  awaiting  hoped- 
for  premiums.  There  are  also  tents  for  the  use  of  those 
who  have  brought  articles  for  sale,  and  all  needful  con 
veniences  for  furnishing  refreshments  to  those  desiring 
them. 


96 

The  third  division  is  the  belt  of  steep  hill-side  between 
these  two  plains,  which,  furnished  with  convenient  seats, 
affords  pleasant  accommodation  to  those  wishing  to  hear 
the  public  speakers,  or  to  see  what  is  going  on  below. 

The  Fair  tor  the  present  year,  which  has  commenced 
this  day,  October  6,  1874,  is  published  as  the  twenty- 
third  which  has  been  held,  and  it  is  said  that  about  two 
thousand  dollars  have  been  expended  in  the  new  improve 
ments  of  the  grounds  and  buildings,  for  this,  and  future  oc 
casions. 

Under  due  police  regulations,  no  sale  or  use  of  intoxi 
cating  liquors  is  allowed,  and  these  gatherings  of  the 
people  have  hitherto  been  characterized  by  the  peaceful 
and  good  behaviour  of  the  multitudes  assembled. 

This  Fair  is  under  the  conduct  of  the  Orange  County 
Agricultural  Society,  including  Oroton  and  Ryegate,  Vt., 
and  Haverhill,  Piermont,  Orford,  and  Lyme,  N.  H.  Mr. 
Joseph  H.  Peters  is  owner  of  the  grounds,  but  has  leased 
them  to  the  above  named  society  for  ten  years  longer. 


97 


CHAPTER    V. 

The  Patriotism  and  Soldiery  of  Bradford — Capt.  Corliss,  a  Veteran 
of  the  Revolution—- Charles  May  Killed  in  a  Duel — Bradford 
Brass  Band. 

THE  PATRIOTISM  OF  BRADFORD  AND  HER 
SOLDIERY. 

We  are  indebted  to  Col.  R.  Farnham  for  the  following  - 
list,  prepared  first  for  the  Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer, 
of  the  men  who  served  for  Bradford  in  the  Union  Army, 
during  the  Great  Rebellion,  with  the  age,  rank,  regiment, 
company,  dates  of  muster  and  discharge,  of  each,  and  such 
other  facts  of  interest  as  could  be  briefly  stated.  Those 
in  italics  were  not  residents  of  this  town,  but  were  enlist 
ed  for  and  counted  on  the  quota  of  the  soldiers  required  of 
the  town,  and  are  justly  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  list. 
There  may  be  other  Bradford  men  who  served  in  regi 
ments  out  of  the  State,  but  we  are  not  able  to  add  any 
such  names  to  this  list.  The  whole  number  furnished  by 
Bradford  appears  to  be  258  men,  of  whom  188  were  resi 
dents  of  the  town,  and  70  non-residents.  Of  these  men 
but  four  appear  to  have  been  killed  in  battle  ;  seventeen 
died  in  the  service,  and  four  survived  the  wounds  they 
had  received. 

The  first  company  sent  forth  were  "The  Bradford 
Guards,"  under  the  command  of  Dudley  K.  Andross,  as 
Captain.  On  Sabbath  afternoon,  April  28, 1861,  they  ap 
peared  in  a  body,  but  without  arms,  in  the  Congregation 
al  church  of  this  village,  attended  by  a  great  gathering  of 
sympathizing  friends  from  this  and  other  towns,  and  lis 
tened  to  an  appropriate  discourse,  by  Rev.  S.  McKeen, 
the  pastor,  from  2d  Samuel,  X:  12 — Be  of  good  courage, 
and  let  us  play  the  men  for  our  people,  and  for  the  cities 


98 

of  our  G-od ;  and  the  Lord  do  that  which  seemeth  Him 
good. 

This  discourse  the  company  had  printed,  and  the  same 
was  afterwards  published  in  the  Vermont  Historical  Ga 
zetteer.  An  extract  or  two,  as  a  memorial  of  the  deeply 
affecting  occasion,  it  is  hoped  will  not  be  thought  inap 
propriate  here.  The  company  left  for  the  scenes  of  active 
warfare  on  the  subsequent  Thursday,  May  2,  1861. 

"  The  true  soldier  is  not  influenced  mainly  by  any  con 
siderations  of  personal  advantage ;  he  is  not  a  pirate, 
ready  to  kill  in  order  to  plunder ;  a  savage,  regardless  of 
all  the  restraints  of  reason  and  humanity,  thirsting  for 
slaughter  and  revenge :  but  he  acts  from  a  high  sense  of 
duty,  and  repels  force  by  force,  as  the  only  means  of  sav 
ing  his  country  from  the  hands  of  her  enemies ;  of  re 
establishing  peace  on  the  foundation  of  justice,  and  of  se 
curing  to  its  people,  both  present  and  prospective,  the 
enjoyment  of  their  inalienable  rights.  The  soldier  should 
be  a  man  of  uncorruptible  patriotism ;  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  and  honor,  in  whom  the  highest  style  of  bravery 
-is  tempered  with  humanity  and  the  fear  of  God.  In  the 
army,  no  countenance  should  be  given  to  profanity,  Sab 
bath  breaking,  gambling,  drinking,  lewdness,  or  any  of 
those  vile  practices  which  degrade  humanity  and  provoke 
the  wrath  of  Heaven.  The  soldier,  going  forth  to  battle, 
surely  has  reason  to  be  thoughtful,  and  prayerful,  to  be 
truly  religious,  and  ever  ready  to  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous.  God  grant  that  our  citizen  soldiers,  here  ready 
to  march,  it  may  be  to  the  scenes  of  deadly  conflict,  may 
all  first  present  themselves  as  living  sacrifices  unto  Him 
in  whose  hand  is  the  temporal  and  eternal  destiny  of  every 
human  being,  and  heartily  enlist  in  the  service  of  the 
glorious  Captain  of  Salvation.  Then  their  highest  inter 
ests  will  be  secure ;  for  their  lives  will  be  hid  with  Christ 
in  God." 


99 

"  Having  faithfully  performed  our  duty,  it  becomes  us 
all  to  say,  with  the  old  warrior,  Joab  :  "  AND  THE  LORD  DO 
THAT  WHICH  SEEMETH  HIM  GOOD."  He  who  guides  the 
planets  in  their  revolutions,  and  causes  the  seasons  to  suc 
ceed  each  other  in  their  order,  who  does  His  will  in  the 
armies  of  Heaven  above,  also  controls  the  affairs  of  na 
tions,  and  raises  them  to  power  and  distinction,  or  pasts 
them  down  and  destroys  them  at  His  pleasure.  To  us 
His  counsels,  save  as  by  His  word  or  providence  reveal 
ed,  are  inscrutable.  Often  His  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  .His 
footsteps  not  known.  Whether  He  will  cause  the  thunder 
clouds  which  hang  over  our  nation  to  explode  with  blast 
ing  and  most  destructive  effect,  or  to  discharge  their  light 
ning  harmlessly  and  give  place  to  the  returning  sunshine 
of  prosperity, — whether  he  will  suffer  the  rebels  to  pro 
ceed  to  more  outrageous  acts,  or  will  bless  the  strenuous 
efforts  now  making  to  suppress  the  insurrection  and  to 
support  the  Government, — whether  our  national  banner 
is  destined  to  be  trailed  in  the  dust,  and  be  succeeded  by 
that  of  the  palmetto  and  rattlesnake,  or  is  still  to  be  borne 
aloft  and  respected  as  aforetime,  not  only  at  home,  but  on 
the  remotest  seas  and  in  all  foreign  lands, — whether  we 
are  to  sink  amid  the  tumultuous  waves  of  revolution  to 
rise  no  more,  or  are  still  to  maintain  a  high  and  honorable 
standing  among  the  nations, — and  what  will  be  the  result 
on  the  seceding  States,  whether  slavery,  as  they  intend, 
shall  be  firmly  established  and  more  widely  extended  than 
ever  before,  or  its  utter  extinction  by  this  insane  move 
ment  shall  be  precipitated,  and,  sooner  than  the  most  hope 
ful  have  dared  to  expect,  liberty  shall  be  proclaimed 
through  all  the  land  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof, — are 
questions  which  it  is  impossible  for  the  wisest,  the  most 
far-seeing  among  men,  with  any  well-grounded  confidence, 
to  answer.  But  we  may  rest  assured  that  Jehovah  will 
reign,  and  do  all  His  pleasure.  l  The  Lord  on  high  is 
mightier  than  the  noise  of  many  waters,,  yea,  than  the 


100 

mighty  waves  of  the  sea.'  l  He  will  cause  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  Him,  and  all  things  to  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  Him.'  He  will  execute  His  holy 
purposes  respecting  both  individuals  and  nations,  and  fill 
the  whole  earth  with  the  most  illustrious  displays  both  of 
His  justice  and  mercy.  Let  us,  then,  whether  at  home  or 
abroad,  whether  occupied  in  peaceful  pursuits,  or  called 
to  the  field  of  battle,  aim  to  perform  our  whole  duty, 
courageously  and  manfully,  and  submit  the  result  entirely 
to  His  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness.  Blessed,  forever 
blessed,  are  all  they  who  put  their  trust  in  Him.  While 
we  feel  deeply  for  our  country,  and  pray  and  labor  ear 
nestly  for  its  peace  and  prosperity,  let  us  not  fail  to  con 
fess  that  it  is  both  right  and  desirable  that  the  Lord  should 
do  that  which  seemeth  Him  good.  Let  us  not  fail  to  lift 
up  our  united  voices,  with  that  of  the  enraptured  Psalmist, 
saying,  '  Be  thou  exalted,  0  God,  above  the  heavens,  and 
thy  glory  above  all  the  earth.' 


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112 
CAPTAIN  EMERSON  CORLISS. 

A    VETERAN   IN    THE   WAR    OP   THE    REVOLUTION. 

This  old  revolutionary  hero,  as  he  was  sometimes  call 
ed,  was  born  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  March,  1758.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  went  with  his  father  to  engage  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  arid,  the  same  week,  found 
himself  in  the  fierce  and  bloody  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
His  heart,  as  might  be  expected,  when  moving  forward 
with  others  like  himself,  unaccustomed  to  such  perils,  to 
meet  the  flashing  swords,  threatening  bayonets,  rattling 
musketry,  and  roaring  cannon  of  disciplined  hosts,  at  first 
trembled  with  fear.  An  officer,  aiming  to  inspire  himself 
and  men  with  courage  and  resolution,  was  boasting  that 
there  was  never  a  ball  yet  cast  to  kill  him,  when  instant 
ly  he  was  cut  in  sunder,  and  the  bloody  fragments  of  his 
body  scattered  among  his  men !  Still,  there  was  no  way 
but  to  press  resolutely  on,  and  fight  manfully,  be  the  con 
sequences  as  they  might.  With  the  increasing  peril,  his 
courage  and  that  of  his  comrades  increased,  and  nerved 
them  with  an  inspiration  and  energy  unknown  before. 
The  Americans  fought  bravely  ;  and  through  subsequent 
life  Captain  Corliss  was  proud  to  tell  of  his  youthful  ex 
perience  at  Bunker  Hill. 

The  same  year  he,  with  others,  was  sent  to"  the  aid  of 
Montgomery,  in  Canada,  and  was  wounded  in  a  skirmish 
with  the  Indians,  near  Fort  Lachine,  though  probably  not 
severely,  as  he  still  continued  in  the  army,  and  we  next 
see  him,  at  Christmas,  1776,  under  command  of  General 
Sullivan,  in  the  very  heat  of  the  battle  at  Trenton,  in 
which  between  forty  and  fifty  of  the  surprised  Hessians 
were  slain  or  fatally  wounded,  and  more  than  a  thousand, 
with  arms,  ammunition  and  stores,  made  prisoners,  and 
spoils  of  victory.  Washington,  with  his  prisoners  and 
booty,  recrossed  the  Delaware  on  the  evening  of  the  same 
day. 


113 

Shortly  alter  this,  January  3,  1777,  our  hero  was  in 
the  army  of  Washington,  in  the  battle  at  Princeton. 
When  Sullivan's  division  were  yet  three  miles  from  the 
town  they  were  loudly  assured,  by  the  roar  of  the  cannon, 
that  the  battle  had  already  fiercely  commenced.  Sullivan 
called  upon  them  to  rush  on,  with  utmost  speed,  and  they 
arrived  at  the  very  crisis  to  turn  the  scale  of  battle  in  fa 
vor  of  the  American  arms.  But  the  brave  General  Mer 
cer  was  found  among  our  slain.  His  horse  had  been  shot 
under  him ;  he  was  on  foot,  pressing  forward  his  men  to 
victory,  when  a  British  soldier,  with  clubbed  musket, 
felled  him  to  the  earth.  Many  other  beloved  officers  were  < 
lost  on  that  snowy  battle-field.  The  entire  British  loss 
was  about  three  hundred  men.  The  Americans,  though 
victorious,  were  obliged  immediately  to  withdraw  from 
the  place. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  in  that  same  year,  1777,  Corliss 
was  under  the  command  of  General  Stark  in  the  decisive 
battle  of  Bennington,  in  which  he  had  seven  balls  shot 
through  his  coat  and  one  through  his  hat,  without  being 
wounded.  In  one  rail  of  a  fence  immediately  before  his 
platoon  he  said  ninety-seven  of  the  enemy's  musket  balls 
were  lodged.  He  was  present,  also,  in  the  battles  of  Still- 
water  and  Saratoga,  in  October  of  the  same  year,  which 
issued  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  with  all  his  forces  and 
military  stores.  Though  in  the  first  engagement  wound 
ed  in  the  leg,  when  there  was  a  call  for  volunteers  to 
move  with  artillery  to  a  post  of  special  danger,  to  cut  off 
the  retreat  of  the  British,  Corliss  promptly  offered  to  be 
one  of  the  party,  provided  he  might  ride  on  a  cannon, 
being  unable  to  walk/  and  was  permitted  to  do  so.  His 
hardships  and  perils  during  the  war  were  many  and  ter 
rible,  but  all  bravely  met  and  endured,  to  secure  the  in 
dependence  and  permanent  prosperity  of  his  and  our  coun 
try. 

Near  the  commencement  of  the  second,  and  it  is  hoped 


114 

our  last,  war  with  England,  a  large  meeting  of  the  patri 
otic  citizens  of  Bradford,  Newbury,  Topsham  and  Corinth 
was  held  atr  the  house  of  Gideon  Tewksbury,  on  the  South 
border  of  Newbury,  to  consider  the  state  of  public  affairs, 
and  was  earnestly  addressed  by  John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  and 
others.  This  led  to  another  meeting  of  men  who,  by 
reason  of  age,  were  exempt  from  military  service,  held  in 
Bradford,  Sept.  28,  1812,  at  which  time  thirty-nine  of 
these  men  solemnly  agreed  with  each  other  to  form  a  mil 
itary  company,  with  such  others  as  might  join  them,  and 
offer  themselves  as  volunteers,  in  the  military  of  Vermont, 
ready  for  any  service,  however  perilous,  to  which  they 
might  be  called.  By  act  of  the  Legislature,  the  subse 
quent  autumn,  the  organization  of  such  companies  was 
duly  authorized  and  encouraged.  This  company,  through 
the  influence  especially  of  John  McDuffee,  who  had  been 
commissioned  by  Governor  Galusha  as  orderly  sergeant, 
was  soon  filled  up  with  the  requisite  number  of  men,  and 
then  duly  officered,  the  old  warrior,  Emerson  Corliss,  then 
fifty-five  years  of  age,  being  constituted  Captain.  The 
company  held  themselves  in  readiness  for  any  emergency, 
but  were  not  called  out  during  the  war,  and  in  1815  were 
disbanded. 

Captain  Corliss  died  in  the  quietude  ol  his  own  home, 
in  Bradford,  where  he  had  long  resided,  December,  1843, 
and  his  remains  were  laid  down  to  their  long  repose  in 
the  principal  cemetery  there,  the  grave  being  designated 
by  rough  stones,  with  no  inscription  whatever — stones 
which  he  had  himself  seasonably  selected  for  that  pur 
pose. 

The  principal  facts  above  stated  were  gathered  from  an 
old  memorandum,  put  into  the  hands  of  the  writer  to  aid 
in  preparing  an  appropriate  discourse  at  the  funeral  of  the 
deceased. 


115 
CHARLES    MAY. 

KILLED    IN    A   DUEL. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  century  there  lived  for  many 
years  in  this  town  a  respectable  family  by  the  name  of 
May;  Thomas  and  Mary  (Mills)  May,  and  their  family  of 
three  sons  and  two  daughters — Mills,  William,  Charles, 
Mary  and  Sarah.  Mr.  May  owned  and  occupied  the  farm 
and  house  ^now  (1873)  possessed  by  Mr.  Kinney  Cum- 
mings,  on  the  Upper  Plain,  and  for  some  time,  I  know  not 
how  long,  kept  tavern  there.  After  his  decease  Mrs. 
May  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Daniel  Chase,  of  Cornish,  N. 
H.,  and  in  1825  took  up  her  final  residence  there.  The 
children,  having  become  men  and  women,  had  previously 
gone,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of  the  youngest  daugh 
ter,  to  new  homes,  and  from  about  that  time  the  old  home 
stead  passed  entirely  into  the  hands  of  other  occupants. 

Charles  May,  the  youngest  son,  having,  through  the  in 
fluence  of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Mills,  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  hi& 
mother's  brother,  received  an  appointment  to  a  Cadetship 
in  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  accordingly  en 
tered  that  institution,  and  honorably  graduated  there,  in 
the  Summer  of  1829,  and  in  the  capacity  of  an  under  offi 
cer  joined  the  army  of  his  country.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  months,  that  is,  in  the  following  March,  I  was  called, 
by  his  mother  and  other  friends,  to  the  deeply  affecting  ser 
vice  of  delivering,  in  this  his~ native  place,  a  discourse  giv 
ing  an  account  of  his  deplorably  tragical  death.  Some  ex 
tracts  from  that  discourse  I  propose  here  to  give,  not  only 
in  memory  of  the  interesting  young  man,  but  in  hope  of 
making  some  salutary  impression  on  the  minds  of  others 
in  regard  to  the  barbarous,  absurd,  and  desperately  wicked, 
practice  of  dueling. 

The  discourse  was  founded  on  the  passage, "  So  ye  shall 
not  pollute  the  land  wherein  ye  are,  for  blood  it  defileth 
the  land,  and  the  land  cannot  be  cleansed  of  the  blood 


116 

that  is  shed  therein,  but  by  the  blood  of  him  that  shed  it." 
—Numbers  35 :  33. 

After  due  introduction,  I  proceed  to  say  :  Our  own  land 
has  recently  been  defiled  by  the  blood  of  one  of  its  citi 
zens,  by  the  blood  of  one  of  our  fellow  townsmen,  of  one 
who  in  his  youthful  days  was  accustomed  to  meet  regu 
larly  with  us  in  this  house  of  worship.  The  blood  of  that 
interesting  young  man,  Charles  May,  has  been  wantonly 
and  cruelly  shed  in  a  duel,  arid  is  now  crying  from  the 
ground  for  expiation. 

On  finishing  his  education  at  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  last  Summer,  Charles  was  promoted  to  a  Lieu- 
tenantcy  in  the  United  States  Army.  He  was  assigned  to 
the  Sixth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  stationed  at  Jefferson 
Barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  The  commanding  of 
ficer,  in  the  letter  which  conveyed  to  Charles'  mother  the 
first  intelligence  of  his  deplorable  death,  says :  "  No 
young  gentleman  ever  came  to  this  post  who,  in  the  same 
length  of  time,  acquired  more  respect,  or  gained  more 
friends.  His  deportment,  both  as  an  officeer  and  a  gen 
tleman,  was  entirely  satisfactory  to  all  who  knew  him." 

Late  one  evening,  after  May  was  in  bed,  one  Hamilton, 
a  clerk  in  the  Quarter  Master's  department,  and  son  of  a 
high  officer  in  the  army,  entered  his  room  in  a  state  of 
partial  intoxication,  and  in  a  humorous  way  commenced  a 
scuffle  with  him.  May  requested  him  repeatedly  to  de 
sist  ;  but  he  would  not.  At  length,  tired  out  with  the  in 
truder's  rudeness,  he  rose  from  his  bed,  and  by  force  put 
him  out  of  his  room.  The  consequence  was  a  challenge 
from  Hamilton  to  May,  to  meet  him  in  deadly  conflict. 
His  honor,  he  felt,  had  received  a  stain  which  nothing 
but  the  blood  of  the  man  who  had  so  treated  him,  or  his 
own,  would  wash  away.  How  absurd  ! 

This  challenge  May  was  wholly  disinclined  to  accept. 
He  had  not  been  brought  up  in  a  part  of  the  country 
where  this  barbarous  way  of  settling  difficulties  was  com- 


117 

mon.  Mutual  concessions^  a  reference  to  a  board  of  honor, 
and  other  fair  means  of  reconciliation  were  proposed  by 
him,  and  by  his  adversary  rejected.  Nothing  but  blood 
would  satisfy  him.  In  this  emergency  it  was  natural  for 
so  young  a  man — May  was  then  only  in  his  twenty-first 
year — to  resort  to  his  companions  for  advice.  The  na 
ture  of  the  advice  which  they  gave  appears  from  a  letter 
by  one  of  them  to  Mrs.  Chase,  soon  after  the  death  of  her 
son.  Says  he,  "  A  course  was  to  be  adopted.  It  was  a 
momentous  step,  and  required  deep  reflection.  By  re 
fusing  the  meeting,  his  reputation  with  the  army  would 
have  been  ruined.  His  society  would  have  been  avoided, 
and  his  life  rendered  miserable.  The  vindictive  voice  of 
public  opinion  forced  him  to  stand  in  the  face  of  death 
and  bid  it  welcome." 

These  rash  and  desperate  fellows  advised  and  urged 
him  to  fight.  They  made  him  believe  that  he  must  fight 
or  be  forever  disgraced.  No  doubt  the  associates  of  Ham 
ilton  had  applied  a  similar  stimulus  to  him. 

But  how  false  and  cruel  their  representations  were,  in 
the  view  of  judicious  men,  even  in  the  army,  appears 
from  the  declaration  of  the  commanding  officer  of  that 
division,  that  had  he  known  anything  of  the  intended 
meeting  he  certainly  should  have  prevented  it:  yet  false 
and  fatal  as  these  arguments  were,  they  prevailed  on  our 
young  friend  to  accept  the  challenge.  And  yet,  on  deep 
er  consideration,  his  conscience  arid  his  heart  recoiled. 
Shortly  before  engaging  in  the  deadly  encounter,  he  wrote 
to  his  mother,  "  I  shudder  when  I  tell  you  I  am  going  out 
in  an  hour  to  fight  a  duel !  My  friends,  and  I  have  many, 
have  done  all  they  could  to  settle  this  unjust  quarrel,  but 
to  no  purpose.  As  I  pray  God  to  forgive  me,  so  do  vou 
also,  dear  mother,  forgive  me.  That  all  my  friends  may 
forgive  me,  is  the  last  request  of  your  erring  son." 

The  fatal  encounter  took  place  on  the  18th  of  January, 
1830.  The  advocate  for  dueling  from  whose  letter  an  ex- 


118 

tract  has  been  already  given,  says  "  He  repaired  to  the 
field  with  a  calm  and  meditative  courage,  supported  by  an 
invincible  feeling  of  right.  No  rancorous  malice  pervaded 
his  bosom."  They  fought  with  pistols,  ten  paces  from 
each  other.  May  fell  at  the  first  fire.  A  ball  entered  his 
body  at  the  hip  and  passed  through  him.  He  survived 
about  fifteen  hours  only. 

The  coroner  of  the  county  was  called  to  view  the  body, 
and  gave  appropriate  judgment  in  the  case ;  but  the 
principal  witnesses  were  not  to  be  found,  and  Hamilton 
had  fled.  Whether  any  serious  effort  was  made  to  pre 
vent  his  flight,  or  to  pursue  and  bring  him  to  justice,  we 
have  yet  to  learn.  A  letter  from  an  officer  who  attended 
Charles  in  his  dying  hours,  shows  that  he  had  at  least  one 
by  his  side  who  felt  deeply  concerned  for  spiritual  wel 
fare,  and  sought  to  direct  his  failing  vision  to  the  Al 
mighty  and  most  merciful  Saviour.  Writing  to  the 
mother  of  the  deceased,  he  says:  "-  Finding  him  perfectly 
cool,  collected,  and  altogether  himself,  I  asked  him  if  he 
felt  reconciled  to  die,  and  drew  his  attention  to  the  future 
on  which  he  was  entering.  He  said,  l  0,  no  !  I  am  not 
prepared  to  die.7  And  added  that  for  him  there  was  no 
hope ;  that  a  death-bed  was  too  late  for  repentance.  I 
combatted  that  idea  as  well  as  I  could,  and  dwelt  on  the 
Gospel  scheme,  with  its  rich  and  merciful  promises  to  all 
who,  with  a  due  sense  of  their  entire  unworthiness,  seek 
an  interest  in  them.  *  *  .  *  I  left  him  for  half  an  hour, 
during  which  he  seemed  to  be  in  communion  with  him 
self.  On  resuming  the  subject  he  seemed  to  understand 
his  situation,  and  the  terms  on  which  the  Divine  forgive 
ness  might  be  obtained.  I  prayed  with  him,  and  he 
seemed  more  and  more  interested.  He  declared  his 
forgiveness  of  his  enemy,  and  his  hope  that  the  Al 
mighty  would  forgive  him,  also.  He  expressed  to  Lieu 
tenant  Warfield,  in  my  absence,  his  deep  regret  that  he 
had  been  concerned  m  a  duel,  and  cautioned  him  to  avoid 


119      • 

the  same  error.  About  two  o'clock  the  next  morning  he 
expressed  a  desire  that  I  would  not  leave  him.  On  my 
bending  over  him  he  took  my  hand,  and  requested  that  I 
would  again  pray  for  him.  Having  complied,  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  followed  me.  He  answered  "  Yes,  and  may  the 
Lord  forgive  me.  My  mother  !  my  mother  !"  The  effort 
almost  overpowered  him.  I  said,  '  How  unspeakably 
would  this  blow  be  lessened  to  her  by  knowing  that  you 
did  not  die  without  hope.'  The  idea  seemed  to  inspire 
him  with  new  life,  and  he  said  with  animation :  4  Will  she 
believe  it  ?  May  we  meet  in  Heaven.'  '  It  is  difficult,' 
continues  this  officer,  l  to  convey  the  impression  which 
conduct  so  noble,  in  such  circumstances,  left  upon  us. 
There  was  nothing  of  petulance,  nothing  of  vindictive 
thought.  It  seemed  as  if  his  better  nature  and  principles 
had  resisted  his  call  to  the  field,  and  having  gone  there, 
because  he  thought  he  could  no  longer  stay  away,  he  still 
had  no  angry  feelings  toward  his  enemy.  Not  a  word  but 
of  forgiveness  and  blessing  escaped  his  lips.  His  mind 
was  calm  throughout,  and  he  seemed  to  contemplate  etern 
ity  with  hope,  sustained  by  a  feeling  that  his  prayers  had 
been  answered.  He  ceased  to  breathe  on  the  morning  of 
January  19,  the  day  after  the  deadly  encounter." 

Thus  ends  the  sad  narration.  We  turn  away  from  the 
death  bed  of  this  interesting  young  man  with  a  feeling  of 
gratitude  to  a  merciful  God,  that  he  was  not  instantly 
killed ;  that  he  was  preserved  in  the  exercise  of  his  reas 
on  long  enough  to  be  awakened  to  a  deep  conviction  of 
his  guilt  and  peril ;  long  enough  to  warn  those  about  him 
to  shun  the  fatal  snare  in  which  he  had  been  taken ;  and 
that  he  spent  his  dying  "breath  in  imploring  the  Divine 
forgiveness.  Whether  the  hope  which  mitigated  his  dy 
ing  agony  was  well  founded  and  sure,  or  otherwise,  it  is 
not  our  province  to  decide.  In  the  final  day  it  will  be 
seen. 

Unfortunate  young  man  !     But  a  few  weeks  before  his 


120 

decease  his  well  proportioned  frame  was  full  of  life  and 
vigor,  his  eyes  beaming  with  intelligence ;  mildness  and 
beauty  illumined  his  countenance  ;  arid  his  mind  was  filled 
with  high  resolves  and  fond  hopes  in  regard  to  his  future 
course  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  sharing  with 
other  military  men  in  the  emoluments  and  honors  which 
she  delights  to  bestow  on  her  heroic  and  meritorious  sons. 
His  excellent  mother  and  other  relatives,  as  often  as  he 
visited  them,  received  him  with  delight,  and  in  his  absence 
spoke  of  him  with  pride.  But  now  those  limbs  are  mo 
tionless  and  cold ;  that  countenance  pale  and  ghostly,  the 
lustre  of  those  eyes  has  disappeared,  and  all  those  pleas 
ing  anticipations  of  patriotic  services,  and  subsequent  hon 
ors,  have  been  suddenly  extinguished  by  the  stroke  of 
death — of  death,  not  in  the  ordinary  course  of  Divine 
Providence,  but  by  the  wanton  and  hateful  practice  of 
dueling !  No  wonder  that  he,  anticipating  the  distress 
which  the  intelligence  of  his  melancholy  death  must  give 
to  the  heart  of  her  who  had  given  him  existence,  who  had 
ever  cared  for  him  so  tenderly,  who  had  early  dedicated 
him  to  God,  and  taught  him  to  pray — I  say  no  wonder 
that  he,  in  his  dying  agony,  should  groan  out,  "  My  moth 
er  !  my  mother !"  No  wonder  that  this  cry  of  distress 
should  pierce  her  heart  like  a  sharp  sword,  open  every 
fountain  of  grief,  and  extort  from  her  lips  the  piteous  re 
sponse,  "  0  my  son  Charles  !  my  son,  my  son  Charles  ! 
would  to  God  I  had  died  for  thee,  oh,  Charles,  my  son,  my 
son !" 

May  this  first  instance  of  any  Bradford  man  being  en 
gaged  in  a  duel  be  also  the  last.  The  remembrance  of 
this  tragical  affair  may,  and  should,  make  a  salutary  im 
pression  on  the  minds  of  our  people  generally,  and  es 
pecially  on  the  minds  of  our  young  men. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that  this  young  man  was  ever  sent 
to  learn  the  art  of  war.  I  believe  he  had  at  first  no  par 
ticular  taste  for  it,  and  would  very  willingly  have  been 


121 

excused.  The  martial  spirit ,  the  false  notions  of  honor, 
the  pride  in  military  tactics  and  trappings,  which  he  there 
imbibed,  and  the  general  influence  to  which  he  was  ex 
posed,  were  all  of  dangerous  tendency.  May  the  day  be 
hastened  when  all  nations  and  individuals  shall  own  the 
Prince  of  Peace  as  their  supreme  commander,  and  learn 
the  art  of  war  no  more.  The  writer  of  this  remembers 
that,  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  when  some  young  man  in 
-this  Congressional  District  was  to  be  recommended  for 
this  preferment,  he,  not  knowing  of  any  other  available 
way  to' obtain  a  liberal  education,  thought  seriously  of 
offering  himself  as  a  candidate,  but  was  deterred  by  his 
venerable  instructor  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages, 
the  Rev.  Wm.  Peckles,  saying  to  me,  most  impressively, 
"  Silas,  I  charge  you,  if  you  do  not  mean  to  go  straight  to 
destruction,  not  to  do  any  such  thing." 

Again  we  have,  in  the  disastrous  tragedy  which  we  are 
reviewing,  a  loud  warning  to  abstain  wholly  from  the  or 
dinary  use  of  intoxicating  liquors.  Hamilton,  though 
young,  was  intemperate.  Had  he  remained  sober,  it  is 
not  to  be  supposed  that  he  would  have  intruded  on  May's 
retirement  at  that  late  hour  and  treated  him  so  rudely. 
This  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  entire  trouble  which 
followed.  0,  that  our  young  men  would,  one  and  all,  take 
a  decided  stand  against  this  most  pernicious  habit.  If 
the  aged  and  infirm  might  be  supposed  to  need  some  such 
unnatural  stimulus,  it  would  still  be  a  shame  that  young 
men,  glorying  in  their  strength,  cannot  feel  sufficiently 
animated  to  enjoy  life  without  resort  to  the  same  misera 
ble  expedient.  The  habit  is  not  only  degrading  and  con 
temptible,  but  leads  to  manifold  evils,  both  natural  and 
moral,  temporal  and  eternal.  It  debases  the  intellectual 
faculties,  stirs  up  the  worst  appetites  and  passions  of  hu 
man  nature,  and  incites  men  to  commit  the  most  foolish 
actions,  the  most  shameful  and  cruel  deeds  conceivable, 
and  often  plunges  them  suddenly  into  remediless  perdi- 
9 


122 

tion.  "  Who  hath  woe  ?  who  hath  sorrows  ?  who  hath 
contentions  ?  who  hath  wounds  without  cause  ? "  The 
lover  of  strong  drink.  Had  it  not  been  for  this,  the  quar 
rel  which  brought  May  to  an  untimely  grave,  and  made 
Hamilton  a  fugitive  and  blood-stained  vagabond  in  the 
earth,  would  not  have  occurred.  Well  might  Solomon 
say,  "  At  the  last  it  biteth  like  a  serpent  and  stingeth  like 
an  adder."  How  astonishing  to  see  men,  especially  young 
men,  so  fascinated  by  this  serpent  as  to  suffer  it  to  glide 
do\yn  their  throats  and  eat  out  their  manhood,  leaving 
them  but  miserable  vestiges  of  what  they  once  were,  and 
might  otherwise  have  continued  to  be.  Thank  God,  it  is 
riot  so  with  all,  but  that  among  our  young  men  are  many 
of  the  excellent  of  the  earth. 

In  the  next  place,  we  see  here  what  a  sad  misfortune 
it  is  for  a  young  man  to  be  intimately  associated  with  un 
wise  and  wicked  companions. 

The  challenge  which  May  received  could  have  done 
him  no  essential  injury,  had  he  manfully  acted  according 
to  his  own  convictions  of  propriety  and  duty.  He  was 
naturally  of  a  mild  disposition,  had  been  religiously  edu 
cated,  and  was  not  at  all  inclined  to  meet  his  challenger 
in  deadly  conflict.  But  the  young  officers,  and  other  pro 
fessed  friends  around  him,  urged  him  on.  They  repre 
sented  to  him  that  if  he  refused  to  tight  he  would  be  stig- 
matixed  as  a  coward,  his  company  be  avoided  by  honora 
ble  men,  and  his  future  life  be  made  wretched  ;  that  it 
was  better  to  meet  deatli  as  a  hero,  to  fall,  if  that  should 
be  his  lotj  covered  with  glory,  than  seek  to  live  by  refus 
ing  to  tight.  They  urged  him  to  do  what  he  said,  but  an 
hpur  before  he  went  to  the  field,  he  shuddered  to  think 
of;  what  he  knew  was  not  only  exposing  him  to  death, 
but  to  the  divine  displeasure.  Alas!  that  such  incon 
siderate  and  reckless  associates  should  be  honored  with 
the  name  of  friends.  The  most  inveterate  enemies  could 
not  have  acted  a  more  treacherous  and  cruel  part.  It 


123 

was  you,  ye  pretended  patriots,  who  deprived  his  country 
forever  of  his  services ;  it  was  you,  ye  hypocritical  friends, 
who  led  him  to  the  slaughter,  and  sent  him  reeking  with 
blood  by  his  own  consent  criminally  shed  to  the  tribunal 
of  God.  It  was  you,  ye  men  of  boasted  honor,  who  have 
wantonly  destroyed  the  quietude  and  happiness  of  a  lov 
ing  family,  and  pierced  a  sister's  and  a  mother's  heart 
with  anguish  inexpressible  !  Is  this  the  nature,  are  these 
the  appropriate  fruits,  of  your  style  of  friendship,  honor 
and  patriotism  ?  How  true  the  proverb,  "  He  that  walk- 
eth  with  wise  men  shall  be  wise;  but  a  companion  of 
fools  shall  be  destroyed."  Multitudes  of  young  men, 
and  of  young  women,  too,  are  yearly  misled  and  ruined 
through  the  influence  of  fawning  and  corrupt  associ 
ates.  Of  such,  my  young  friends,  beware !  beware ! 
Say  of  them,  "  0,  my  soul,  come  not  thou  unto  their  se 
cret  ;  arid  unto  their  assembly,  mine  honor,  be  not  thou 
united."  "  If  sinners  entice  thee  to  sin,  consent  thou 
not." 

The  tragical  fate  of  our  young  townsman  should  inspire 
us  with  due  detestation  of  the  barbarous  practice  of  duel 
ing,  and  lead  us  to  consider  well  the  means  divinely  ap 
pointed  for  its  utter  termination. 

After  all  that  can  be  said  in  justification  of  dueling,  as 
an  ancient  and  honorable  custom,  abundantly  sanctioned 
by  the  example  of  men  of  higli  distinction,  many  of  whom, 
having  come  off  safe  and  victorious,  have  been  promoted 
by  their  admiring  countrymen  to  still  higher  honors ;  or 
of  its  innocence  on  account  of  the  mutual  consent  of  the 
combatants  to  thus  expose  their  lives ;  or  on  the  ground, 
in  many  cases,  of  their  apparent  freedom  from  any  invete 
rate  malice  towards  each  other ;  yet,  when  stripped  of  all 
disguise,  it  must  be  seen  to  be  a  truly  murderous  trans 
action.  It  is  always  the  result  of  a  design,  and  always 
involves  efforts  to  destroy,  and  that  unlawfully,  human 
life.  The  weapons  employed  in  it  are  always  the  appro- 


124 

priate  instruments  of  death,  and  they  are  used  with  the 
utmost  skill  which  the  parties  possess,  for  the  direct  pur 
pose  of  producing  this  fatal  catastrophe.  Duelists  aim 
with  deliberate  predetermination,  and  take  the  utmost 
pains  to  prepare  themselves  to  kill  each  other.  Their 
implied  agreement  to  do  so  is  wholly  unjustifiable.  The 
plea  that  they  have  no  anger  or  malice  towards  each 
other,  is  no  better  than  the  highwayman  or  pirate  may 
urge  in  his  own  defence.  What  anger  or  malice  have 
they  towards  entire  strangers  who  have  never  done  them 
the  least  harm  ?  Their  only  object  is  plunder,  and  its 
subsequent  enjoyment,  regardless  of  the  rights  and  lives 
of  their  victims.  And  the  laws  by  which  their  nefarious 
business  is  conducted  are  esteemed  among  their  respect 
ive  cliques  quite  as  justifiable  as  the  so-called  laws  of 
honor  so  highly  respected  by  duelists  and  their  advocates. 
The  duelist  unlawfully  and  wickedly  sheds  the  blood  of 
his  fellow  man.  Why,  then,  should  not  his  own,  by  judi 
cial  authority,  be  shed?  In  this  case,  surely,  "  the  land 
cannot  be  cleansed  from  the  blood  shed  therein,  but  by 
the  blood  of  him  that  shed  it." 

The  State  of  Vermont  has  expressly  declared  "  Every 
person  who  shall,  within  this  state,  fight  a  duel,  and  there 
by  kill  any  person,  shall  suffer  the  punishment  of  death." 
In  several  other  states  the  legal  penalty  is  the  same.  Now 
let  those  just  enactments  be  universally,  invariably,  and 
inflexibly  executed,  and  this  barbarous  and  abominable 
practice  must  and  will  cease.  But  while  such  murderers 
and  their  accessories  are  not  only  suffered  to  go  unpun 
ished,  but  are  raised  to  still  higher  stations  of  honorable 
distinction,  the  baleful  influence  of  their  evil  examples 
will  be  extensively  felt,  and  the  earth  continue  to  be  de 
filed  with  the  blood  of  many,  we  know  not  how  many,  of 
our  promising  young  men,  immolated,  like  our  Charles 
May,  on  this  accursed  altar  of  barbarism,  nor  how  many 
loving  families  will,  year  after  year,  be  filled  in  con- 


125 

sequence,  with  anguish  inexpressible.  A  sickly  senti- 
mentalism  in  regard  to  the  impartial  execution  of  justice 
on  murderers,  whether  in  cases  of  dueling  or  of  secret 
assassination,  has  so  pervaded  this  nation  that  mur 
ders  of  every  sort  have  become  fearfully  common/ 
My  country,  I  tremble  for  thee  !  For  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God: ."  Since  thou  hast  not  hated  blood,  even  blood  shall 
pursue  thee.  I  will  make  thee  perpetual  desolations. 
And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."  Many  other 
great  and  mighty  nations  have  sunk  under  the  weight  of 
their  guilt,  and  of  the  Divine  displeasure,  to  rise  no  more. 
May  timely  repentance,  through  reformation,  and  the  uni 
versal  prevalence  of  that  righteousness  which  exalteth 
a  nation,  avert  our  merited  doom !  and  secure,  not  only 
for  ourselves,  but  for  all  who  may  succeed  us,  the  approv 
al  of  Him  whose  favor  is  life,  and  whose  loving  kindness 
is  better  than  life. 


126 


CHAPTER  VI.  ' 

Andrew  B.  Peters,  Esq.,  and  Family;  with  Biographical  Sketch 
of  his  Father,  Colonel.  John  Peters,  and  Others  of  Historic 
Distinction. 

From  a  long  personal  acquaintance  with  this  gentle 
man,  and  from  the  history  of  his  ancestry,  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Samuel  Peters,  and  moreover  a  package  ol  interesting 
manuscript,  put  into  my  hand  by  Mrs.  A.  B.  Peters,  sev 
eral  years  after  her  husband's  decease,  I  have  gathered 
the  following  facts  respecting  him  and  the  Peters  family. 
"William,  Thomas,  and  Hugh  Peters,  who  were  brothers, 
emigrated  from  England  to  Boston,  Mass.,  about  the  year 
1634. 

One  of  these  brothers,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Peters,  soon 
after  their  coming  to  this  country  was  settled  in  the  min 
istry  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  where  he  patronized  an  academy, 
which,  as  Yale  College,  Avas,  in  1716,  removed  to  New 
Haven,  an  institution  which  has  been  increasing  in  use 
fulness  and  honor  from  its  origin  to  the  present  day. 

Rev.  Hugh  Peters,  a  brother  of  the  last  named,  was 
settled  for  about  five  years  at  Salem,  Mass.,  then  returned 
to  England  in  1640,  or  1641,  where  he  warmly  espoused 
the  cause  of  Cromwell  and  the  Parliament,  in  opposition 
to  Charles  I,  became  a  man  of  distinction  and  influence, 
and  was  forward  among  those  who  approved  of  the  exe 
cution  of  that  ill-fated  king.  On  this  account  after  the 
elevation  of  Charles  II,  son  of  Charles  I,  to  the  throne, 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Peters,  being  still  in  England,  was,  by 
royal  authority,  arrested,  tried  on  charge  of  high  treason, 
and  beheaded,  October  16,  1660.  Through  his  trial,  and 
at  his  execution,  he  demeaned  himself  with  distinguished 
composure  and  dignity,  and  laid  down  his  life  without  ap 
parent  regret  that  he  had  so  zealously  advocated  a  cause 
which  he  still  esteemed  just,  though  unsuccessful.  His 


127 

widow  and  daughter  returned  to  their  friends  in  this 
country. 

William  Peters,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  brother  of  the  two  cler 
gymen  above  named,  had  six  sons  and  four  daughters. 
He  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  died  at  Andover,  Mass,  much 
beloved  and  respected  for  his  charities,  piety,  and  bear 
ing.  From  him  the  race  bearing  the  name  of  Peters,  in 
New  England,  have  mainly  descended.  His  sons  were 
John,  Andrew,  Thomas,  William,  Samuel,  and  Joseph. 

William,  last  named,  the  fourth  son  of  the  emigrant, 
had  six  sons,  Bernslee,  Samuel,  John,  William,  Andrew, 
Joseph,  and  two  daughters. 

This  William,  the  third  of  the  name,  and  a  grandson  of 
the  emigrant,  was  killed  in  a  battle  with  the  Indians  in 
Andover,  leaving  his  widow,  Mary  Russell,  with  an  infant 
son,  named  John,  then  but  eleven  days  of  age.  This  was 
in  October,  1696. 

This  John  Peters,  when  of  age,  removed,  in  1717,  from 
Boston  to  Hebron,  in  Connecticut,  at  that  time  quite  a 
new  settlement,  and  by  his  wife  Mary,  a  grand  daughter 
of  the  martyr,  General  Thomas  Harrison,  had  a  large 
family  of  sons  and  daughters.  Distinguished  among 
these  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Andrew  Peters,  LL.  D.7  an 
Episcopal  clergyman.  He  sometimes  wrote  his  name 
with  the  middle  A,  and  perhaps  more  commonly  without 
it.-  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale,  in  the  class  of  1757,  a 
classmate  with  Rev.  Dr.  Burroughs,  afterwards  minister 
of  Hanover,  N.  H.  He  was  a  man  of  ability,  quite  an 
interesting  letter  writer,  as  his  manuscripts  show,  and 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution  a  decided  loyalist.  On 
this  last  account  he  awakened  against  himself  so  much 
displeasure  that  he  found  it  expedient  to  leave  his  native 
State  somewhat  in  haste,  and  take  a  voyage  to  England, 
where  he  remained  for  several  years,  and  occasionally  in 
dulged  his  feelings  and  amused  the  public  by  writing  for 
the  papers  ridiculous  caricatures  of  the  laws  and  customs 


128 

of  the  Puritans,  especially  those  of  Connecticut.  He 
wrote  also,  while  there  or  afterwards,  a  biographical 
account  of  his  relative,  Rev.  Hugh  Peters,  who,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  executed  in  England  on  account  of  his 
advocacy  of  the  cause  of  Cromwell  and  his  Parliament. 
After  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution  was  over,  Rev. 
Dr.  Peters  returned  to  this  country,  and  claimed  to  be,  not 
only  in  title  but  in  fact,  "  Bishop  of  Verdmont,"  as  this 
new  State  was  by  him  not  inappropriately  denominated. 
From  some  of  his  manuscript  letters  it  would  seem 
that,  notwithstanding  the  course  he  had  taken,  he  re 
mained  on  friendly  terms  with  such  distinguished  men  as 
Judge  Niles  and  General  Morey,  of  Fairlee,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Burroughs,  of  Hanover,  and  others  in  this  vicinity. 

Margaret  Peters,  a  sister  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel,  mar 
ried  John  Mann,  a  farmer  in  Hebron,  whose  eldest  son, 
John  Mann,  Esq.,  married  Lydia  Porter,  of  Hebron.  The 
marriage  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  Episcopal  church 
there,  by  his  uncle,  Rev.  Dr.  Peters,  then  its  Rector,  Feb 
ruary  17,  1765.  On  the  16th  of  the  following  October 
the  enterprising  young  couple  set  out  on  their  journey 
through  the  wilderness,  to  Orford,  N.  H.,  and  arrived  on 
the  24th  of  the  same  month.  They  were  persons  of  hon 
orable  distinction  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  town, 
and  raised  up  a  highly  respectable  family  of  sons  and 
daughters,  among  whom  were  Major  John  Mann,  long 
time  a  merchant  there,  and  Cyrus  and  Joel  Mann,  gradu 
ates  of  Dartmouth,  and  able  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of 
the  Congregational  denomination. 

John  Peters,  Jr.,  who  was  born  at  Hebron  in  1718,  was 
the  eldest  brother  of  Samuel  and  Margaret,  above  men 
tioned.  His  wife,  Lydia  Phelps,  was  a  direct  descendant 
from  John  Phelps,  Secretary  to  Oliver  Cromwell.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  daughters  and  six  sons. 

Lydia,  one  of  these  daughters,  married  Benjamin  Bald 
win,  Esq.,  subsequently  one  of  the  influential  settlers  of 


129 

Mooretown,  now  Bradford,  Vt.  They  here  raised  up  a 
large  and  respectable  family,  of  whom,  more  hereafter. 
Mary  Peters,  a  sister  of  Mrs  Baldwin,  married  Joseph 
Hosford,  Esq.,  of  Thetford.  Another  sister,  Susanna,  mar 
ried  Colonel  John  House,  of  Norwich. 

General  Absalom  Peters,  a  brother  of  the  ladies  just 
mentioned,  was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  in  1754.  He  was 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1780.  He  married 
Mary  Rogers,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Col.  John  Barren,  of  Brad 
ford,  and  had  a  family  of  children  of  decided  ability  and 
moral  worth.  Among  the  sons  was  Rev.  Dr.  Absalom 
Peters,  of  New  York,  long  time  Secretary  of  the  Ameri 
can  Home  Missionary  Society,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
in  1816.  General  Peters  and  family,  for  many  years,  re 
sided  on  a  farm  in  Wentworth,  N.  H.,  where  he  took  an 
active  part  in  public  affairs,  remaining  as  he  was  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  decidedly  patriotic.  After  the 
decease  of  his  first  wife,  Mary  Rogers,  he,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six,  married  another  highly  respectable  lady,  with 
whom  he  had  been  pleasantly  acquainted  in  youth,  the 
widow  of  Rev.  John  Gurley,  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  with 
whom  he  lived  happily  nearly  twenty  years.  He  died  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  April,  1840,  aged  eighty-six  years. 
He  was  buried  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  his  native  place,  being 
borne  to  his  grave  by  aged  men,  companions  of  his  child 
hood  and  youth. 

We  come  now  to  Col.  John  Peters,  a  brother  of  Gen. 
Absalom,  and  the  eldest  son  of  John  Peters,  Jr.,  of  He 
bron.  He  was  born  there  in  1740.  He  married  Ann  Bar- 
net,  and  by  her  had  one  daughter  and  eight  sons.  He 
emigrated  from  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1765,  to  Thet 
ford,  Vermont,  and  from  that  place  to  Mooretown,  now 
Bradford,  in  or  about  the  year  1771.  The  first  grist-mill 
in  this  town  was  built  by  him,  in  1772.  In  the  troubles 
which  soon  after  occurred  between  this  country  and  Eng 
land,  and  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  his  sympa- 


130 

thies  were,  like  those  of  his  uncle,  Dr.  Samuel  Peters,  de 
cidedly  with  the  British  Government.  His  brother  Ab 
salom  and  some  or  all  of  the  sisters  were  decidedly  in 
favor  of  the  independence  of  the  Colonies.  This  set  the 
two  brothers  in  strong"  opposition  to  each  other,  and 
caused  an  unpleasant  division  in  the  family.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  state  of  feeling,  near  the  commencement  of 
the  war  Mr.  John  Peters,  with  his  family,  emigrated  to 
Nova  Scotia ;  and,  on  account  of  his  /eal  and  energy  as  a 
loyalist,  he  received  a  commission  as  Colonel  of  a  regi 
ment  styled  the  Queen's  Rangers,  whence  his  military 
title  ;  but  how  much  service  he  rendered  as  an  officer  in 
the  British  army  does  not  appear.  After  the  war  was 
over,  leaving  his  family  at  Cape  Breton,  he  went  to  Eng 
land,  to  prosecute  his  claims  on  the  government,  and 
died  there,  at  Paddington,  near  London,  January  11,  1788, 
in  the  48th  year  of  his  age.  His  uncle,  Rev.  Dr.  Peters, 
was  there  to  assist  him,  but  the  result  of  their  appeal  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  very  satisfactory.  A  letter  from 
this  eccentric  old  clergyman  to  Mrs.  Col.  John  Peters,  in 
forming  her  of  his  death,  is  so  interesting  that  I  cannot 
forbear  to  insert  it  here. 

'k  (jrROVENER  PLACE,  London,  | 

February  16,  1788.         f 

"  MY  DEAR  ANNA  : — I  now  commence  a  correspondence 
with  you,  as  heretofore  I  have  had  with  your  husband. 
Col.  Peters  has  often  written  to  you  of  the  bad  state  of 
his  health,  and  of  the  delays  "of  administration,  and  that  he 
was  impatient  of  these  delays  and  fair  promises,  as  he 
was  anxious  of  returning  to  you  and  his  dear,  young  and 
tender  family.  His  great  concern  was  about  you,  and 
his  daily  prayers  and  last  Avish  were  for  you  and  your 
children.  This  attention  to  you  and  your  family  has,  no 
doubt,  secured  your  love  and  esteem,  and  his  happiness 
will,  of  course,  be  yuur  greatest  worldly  comfort. 


131 

"  I  am  now  the  informer  of  his  glorious  situation ;  and 
you,  that  have  known  that  death  is  and  will  be  swallowed 
up  of  life,  will  not  complain  ..that  the  great  Eternal  has 
seen  lit  to  bestow  one  Beatitude  on  your  husband  which 
he  has  as  yet  withheld  from  you ;  and  if  you  are  just  to 
yourself,  and  children,  and  friends,  and  submissive  to  the 
good  pleasure  of  God,  you  will  not  complain  that  the  pref 
erence  is  given  to  your  husband,  for  what  he  first  enjoys 
you  shall  enjoy,  in  God's  good  time.  News  from  a  far 
country  is  pleasant  and  truly  entertaining ;  and  to  comfort 
you  and  your  children  with  such  news  I  write  this  letter. 

"  St.  Paul  told  his  friends  and  hearers,  You  shall  see 
my  face  no  more.  This  grieved  them;  but  they  were 
consoled  when  they  remembered  that  here  we  have  no 
continuing  city,  but  are  seeking  one  to  come,  where  the 
blessed  dead  shall  meet  and  separate  no  more — shall  see 
God  and  one  another,  face  to  face,  and  live  forever  hap 
py,  where  time,  tears,  sorrow  and  want  are  never  known. 

"  To  that  bright  world  set  off  Col.  John  Peters,  your 
fond  and  tender  husband,  on  January  11,  1788,  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  prepared  for  his  journey,  and  ar 
rived  before  the  throne  of  God  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  ! 
You  may  wish  to  go  to  him,  but  he  cannot  wish  to  return 
to  you.  Consider  this,  my  dear  and  lovely  woman,  and 
you  will  keep  silence  before  the  Judge 'of  all,  who  gave, 
and  has  taken  away,  him  whom  thy  soul  loved.  During 
your  husband's  last  illness,  which  was  the  gout  arid  rheu 
matism  in  his  breast  and  head,  and  so  continued  for  a 
month,  everything  was  done  for  him  which  physicians  of 
knowledge  could  find  out,  but  all  proved  in  vain.  His 
body  has  been  decently  interred  in  the  new  burying 
ground  belonging  to  St.  George,  Hanover  Square,  and  1 
have  paid  the  expense,  and  all  his  debts  in  this  country 
that  I  have  heard  of. 

11 1  have  sent  every  article  belonging  to  him,  in  two 
trunks,  by  ship,  to  the  care  of  Joseph  Peters,  postmaster 


132 

at  Halifax.  I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  take  care  of 
you  and  your  children.  I  will  do  all  for  you  that  I  can. 
I  am  sorry  for  your  distressed  situation,  and  that  of  your 
family;  but  who  in  this  world  is  free  from  troubles?  The 
King,  Nobles,  Bishops,  and  Merchants,  have  less  happi 
ness  than  I,  and  the  beggars  of  a  half  a  crown  a  week.  I 
suppose  the  Rebels  will  rejoice  at  the  death  of  Colonel 
Peters,  because  they  will  never  see  him  again ;  but  I  re 
joice  that  he  is  dead  in  the  Lord,  and  because  I  shall  see 
him  again.  His  .picture,  a  good  likeness  of  him  in  life, 
and  in  his  coffin,  was  taken  before  his  illness.  I  cut  off  a 
lock  of  his  hair,  which  I  intend  to  have  put  into  a  ring,  or 
locket,  for  you  and  your  daughter,  as  you  shall  direct.  I 
have  written  to  Governor  Fanning  to  take  your  son  Fan 
ning,  and  bring  him  up  as  his  God-son,  and  advise  you  to 
consent,  if  the  Governor  will  do  it." 

Mrs.  Peters,  the  widow,  to  whom  the  above  letter  was 
addressed,  lived  a  good  many  years  after  her  husband's 
decease,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven. 

Col.  John  Peters  and  wife  had  eight  sons  and  one  daugh 
ter. 

John,  born  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  lived  and  died  in  Canada 
West. 

Andrew  B.  was  the  next. 

William,  born  at  Thetford,  Vt.,  December  21,  1766,  was 
killed  by  a  falling  tree,  in  Mooretown,  March  19,  1773. 
The  following  simple  epitaph  on  his  little  gravestone  is 
quite  touching: 

"  Death  took  me  hence,  just  as  I  did  begin  ; 
Thanks  be  to  God  !  before  I  grew  in  sin." 

Samuel  was  born  and  died  in  Thetford. 

Henry  Moore  was  born  at  Piermont,  N.  H. 

Edmund  Fanning,  born  at  Mooretown,  was  named  for 
the  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia. 

William  Barnet,  the  seventh  son,  born  at  Mooretown, 
June  10,  1775,  became  a  physician,  practiced  in  Portland, 


133 

Maine,  and  died  there  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his 

age. 

Ann,  their  sister,  was  born  in  Quebec,  January  18, 
1782  ;  married  a  Watson,  and  lived  for  many  years  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Probably  died  there. 

Joseph  Peters  was  born  at  Montreal,  November  11, 
1779.  He  subsequently  resided  for  some  years  with  the 
rest  of  his  mother's  family  at  Cape  Breton.  When  of  age 
he  enlisted  into  the  British  army ;  was  sent  with  the 
forces  under  Wellington  into  Spain ;  was  engaged  in  va 
rious  battles,  and  shared  with,  others  in  the  honor  of  the 
expulsion  of  King  Joseph  Bonaparte  and  the  French 
from  that  country.  He  married  in  England,  and  after  a 
long  absence  returned,  with  his  family,  to  America.  He 
came  to  Bradford  and  lived  for  a  few  years  near  his 
brother,  Andrew  B.,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  hav 
ing  willingly  exchanged  the  weapons  of  war  for  the  im 
plements  of  husbandry.  But  his  English  wife  longed  for 
her  native  land ;  and  so,  taking  their  children  and  mova 
bles  with  them,  in  or  near  the  year  1843  they  went  back 
to  London,  where  the  old  warrior  is  understood  to  have 
died,  not  long  after. 

On  this,  their  last  voyage,  an  incident  occurred  which, 
for  the  benefit  of  young  ladies  who  may  happen  to  fall 
into  like  peril,  I  will  here  relate. 

Mr.  Peters  and  wife  had  with  them  a  good-looking 
daughter,  in  the  bloom  of  womanhood,  whose  name  was 
Mary  Ann.  A  young  man  on  board  the  ship  became  her 
warm  admirer,  and  earnestly  solicited  her  hand  in  mar 
riage.  He  represented  himself  to  be  a  farmer,  in  good 
circumstances ;  and  promised,  in  case  of  marriage,  that 
directly  on  their  arrival  in  port  he  would  take  her  to  a 
pleasant  home.  Having  obtained  the  consent  both  of  the 
girl  and  her  parents,  he  insisted  that  the  marriage  should 
take  place  immediately,  and  that  the  ceremony  might  as 
well  be  performed  by  the  captain,  as  by  a  magistrate  or 


134 

minister  on  shore.  The  captain  consented,  the  marriage 
took  place,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  things 
went  on  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  But  on 
their  arrival  in  England  the  villain,  for-  such,  to  her  bitter 
disappointment  and  the  deep  mortification  of  her  parents, 
he  proved  himself  to  be,  absconded,  leaving  poor  Mary 
Ann  to  take  care  of  herself  as  she  could ;  his  pretensions 
of  love,  and  promises  of  fidelity  and  a  pleasant  home,  all 
having  been  false  and  wicked.  Beware  of  such  men  ! 

ANDREW   B.    PETERS,   ESQ. 

We  come  now  to  a  more  full  Account  of  our  honored 
fellow  townsman,  Andrew  B.  Peters.  He  was  the  second 
son  of  Colonel  John  Peters,  born  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  Janu 
ary  29,  17G4,  and  when  with  his  parents  he  first  came  to 
this  town,  he  was  about  seven  years  of  age.  In  prospect 
of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  his  father,  being  a  loyalist, 
removed  his  family  from  this  place  to  the  province  of 
Nova  Scotia,  and  there,  as  we  have  said,  was  commission 
ed  a  colonel  in  the  British  army.  In  consequence  of  the 
course  pursued  by  his  father,  Andrew  B.  became  a  sub 
ject  of  the  royal  government  during  the  whole  seven 
years  of  war  which  followed,  and  was  surrounded  by  in 
fluences  suited  to  enlist  his  youthful  ambition  and  ener 
gies  on  the  side  which  his  father,  and  his  father's  distin 
guished  uncle,  then  in  London,  had  so  heartily  espoused. 
It  is  no  wonder  then  that  he  should  have,  early  in  life, 
enlisted  in  the  same  cause.  From  his  seventeenth  to  his 
twentieth  year  he  seems  to  have  been  engaged  in  the 
king's  service,  particularly  in  the  naval  inland  depart 
ment.  Under  date  of  September  16,  1783,  near  the  close 
of  the  war,  "  Commodore  r  Shank,  then  at  Quebec,  gave 
him  an  honorable  discharge,  saying  that  from  the  27th  of 
June,  1780,  he  had  served  for  a  time  in  his  majesty's  ship 
the  Wolf,  also  aboard  of  his  majesty's  armed  schooner 


135 

Mercury,  and  in  the  year  1781  was  ordered  upon  Lake 
Champlain,  where  he  served  on  board  of  different  vessels, 
and  frequently  commanded  them,  until  the  16th  of  Sep 
tember,  1783.  Mr.  Peters  was  then  not  quite  twenty 
years  of  age,  but  the  commander  speaks  highly  of  his 
conduct,  as  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  and  recommends 
him  to  further  consideration  in  his  majesty's  naval  ser 
vice. 

Within  a  very  few  years  after  the  permanent  restora 
tion  of  peace,  Mr.  Peters,  having  no  encouraging  prospect 
of  promotion  in  the  British  navy,  or  urgent  call  for  fur 
ther  services  under  the  royal  government,  concluded  to 
return  to  Bradford,  where  his  father's  family  had  formerly 
resided,  and  here  permanently  settled  down  as  a  loyal  and 
good  citizen.  His  great  uncle,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Pet 
ers,  was  still  in  London,  and  had  all  along  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  behalf  of  his  promising  young  relative  arid 
correspondent.  A  few  extracts  from  one  or  two  of  his 
letters  will  here  be  appropriate  and  interesting. 

In  a  letter  to  Andrew  B.  Peters,  dated  at  London,  March 
24, 1795, he  writes:  "  My  dear  nephew,  years  have  passed 
since  I  saw  you  in  your  mother's  arms.  I  am  on  the  wings 
of  Time,  bearing  up  to  God,  in  whose  presence  is  life, 
light,  and  joy.  Here  we  have  no  continuing  city. 
General  Cogswell,  of  Castleton,  near  Rutland,  will  have 
the  goodness  to  deliver  or  convey  this  to  you,  and  will 
pay  you  thirty  pounds  sterling,  on  your  receipt.  The 
above  I  send  you,  not  knowing  how  soon  I  may  be  with 
you,  or  that  you  might  not  want  it  before  my  arrival.  1 
hear  you  have  a  wife  and  children.  Heaven  prosper  you 
and  yours.  *  *  The  reasons  of  your  residing  in  \rerd- 
mont,  I  doubt  not,  are  the  same  which  will  induce  all  peo 
ple  in  the  old  world  to  go  there  !" 

In  another  letter,  dated  at  London,  April  20,  1797,  the 
doctor  writes :  "  I  am  glad  you  received  the  thirty 
pounds  sterling  from  that  good  man,  General  Cogswell. 


136 

*  *  You  must  not  mind  the  conduct  of  Absalom  and 
John,  for  they  persecuted  your  father,  me,  and  the  proph 
ets,  before  you."  He  here,  evidently,  refers  to  Andrew's 
patriotic  uncle,  General  Absalom  Peters,  but  to  what 
John  does  not  so  clearly  now  appear.  "  Do  good  to  them 
that  despitefully  treat  you,  and  love  them  that  hate  you. 
While  we  were  enemies  to  God,  Christ  died  for  us.  Ver- 
bum  sat."  In  the  same  letter  he  refers  to  "  Commodore,77 
as  he  styles  him,  Shank,  "  with  whom,"  he  continues, 
il  you  served  in  the  Navy,  and  I  tried  to  have  you  made  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  Navy  but  did  not  succed,  because  you 
were  born  in  America.  The  Admiralty  treated  all  Ameri 
can  born  midshipmen  in  like  manner  after  the  Independ 
ence  of  America.  Perhaps  it  is  for  the  best.  *  *  * 
Would  it  suit  you  to  be  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  or  to  be  a 
military  officer?  General  Allen  will  be  able  to  assist  you 
with  the  Governor." 

Of  Mr.  Peters'  second  wife  he  pleasantly  says :  "  If  I 
remember  well,  Mr.  Ellis  Bliss  had  a  beautiful  daughter, 
whose  mother  was  dead.  If  she  is  as  good  as  she  looked, 
or  so  good  as  her  father  and  mother,  you  have  great  rea 
son  to  be  thankful,  and  must  be  happy." 

In  the  year  1798  Andrew  B.  Peters  was  chosen  Town 
Clerk  of  Bradford,  and  was  continued  in  that  office  for 
forty  out  of  the  ensuing  forty- six  years,  there  being  but 
two  interruptions,  the  first  of  five,  and  the  other  of  one 
year.  The  early  records  of  the  town,  while  they  exist, 
will  be  a  memorial  of  his  ability  and  correctness.  It  is 
well  that  the  books  were  kept  so  long  by  one  faithful 
man,  instead  of  being  bandied  about  from  one  place  to 
another.  The  same  year  in  which  Mr.  Peters  was  first 
chosen  Town  Clerk  he  was  also  elected  Representative  to 
the  State  Legislature,  arid  served  the  town  in  that  capac 
ity  for  five  years,  though  not  continuously.  He  also  offi 
ciated  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years.  For 


137 

half  a  century  he  was  occupied  in  various  public  services, 
and  in  every  department  gave  general  satisfaction. 

Esquire  Peters  was  strictly  temperate  in  his  habits, 
both  of  eating  and  drinking.  He  was  accustomed  to  rise, 
and  also  to  retire,  at  early  hours.  He  was  in  his  temper, 
quick  and  decisive  ;  in  his  pursuits,  active  and  persever 
ing.  And  never  having  broken  down  his  physical  consti 
tution  by  excessive  labor,  or  other  abuses,  his  sight, 
hearing,  memory,  and  poAvers  generally,  both  of  body  arid 
mind,  held  out  admirably.  In  his  old  age  he  stood  erect, 
arid  walked  with  a  quick  arid  firm  step.  But  a  few  weeks 
before  his  decease,  he,  with  his  wife,  took  a  journey  to 
Boston  and  vicinity,  to  visit  their  children  there.  If  men 
would  abstain  wholly  from  the  ordinary  use  of  intoxicat 
ing  liquor,  tobacco,  opium,  and  otherwise  observe  as  they 
should  the  laws  of  health,  instead  of  becoming  old  and 
broken  down  at  the  age  of  forty-five  or  fifty,  instances  of 
sprightliness  and  energy  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  or 
eighty  would  not  be  at  all  uncommon. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Peters  united  with  the  Episcopal 
church,  and,  though  he  seldom  had  opportunity  to  enjoy 
its  forms  of  worship,  he  retained  his  membership  to  the 
last.  He  was  strict  in  his  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
exemplary  in  his  attendance  on  public  worship,  with  the 
Congregational  denomination,  whose  house  of  worship 
\vas  long  quite  near  his  residence.  He  was  detained  at 
home  only  for  two  Sabbaths,  during  his  last  illness. 
Though  fully  aware  that  the  time  appointed  for  his  de 
parture  was  close  at  hand,  his  mind  remained  peaceful. 
He  did  not  seem  to  depend  on  his  morality  at  all,  but  on 
Christ,  and  him  alone,  for  salvation.  On  Sabbath  morning, 
August  10,  1851,  the  venerable  old  man  passed  quietly 
away  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  six  months  and 
twelve  days. 

On  the  following  Monday,  his  funeral  was  numerously 
attended  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  which  he  had  in 
10 


138 

various  capacities  so  long  and  faithfully  served,  the  relig 
ious  services  being  performed  by  his  Congregational 
pastor,  assisted  by  the  Methodist  brother  then  officiating 
in  Bradford.  His  remains  rest,  with  those  of  his  three 
wives,  in  the  pleasant  cemetery  near  their  former  resi 
dence. 

The  first  wife  of  Esquire  Peters  was  Anna  White,  of 
Newbury.  They  were  married  January  18,  1787,  about 
three  years  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
which  shows  that  he  was  then  resident  here.  This  good 
lady,  in  a  little  over  one  year  after  her  marriage,  died  of 
consumption,  at  Bradford,  in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of 
her  age. 

December  16,  1790,  Mr.  A.  B.  Peters  married  for  his 
second  wife  Miss  Lydia  Bliss,  then  of  Bradford,  but  a  na 
tive  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Ellis  Bliss.  They 
lived  happily  together  for  nearly  twenty-seven  years, 
when  she  died  at  Bradford,  March  5,  1816,  in  the  fiftieth 
year  of  her  age,  leaving  a  large  family.  The  children  of 
Mr.  Peters  and  his  second  wife  were, 

1.  John  Peters,  born  May  6,  1792.     He  married  Dol 
ly  Howe,  and  settled  in  Jay,  Vt.     Died  October  19,  1858. 
No  children. 

2.  Anna,  born  November  2,  1793 ;    married  Eleazer 
Smith  ;    settled  in  Haverhill,.  N.  H.;  died  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  June  20,  1848,  leaving  two  sons :    Charles  Gk,  who 
married  Ruth  Morse  and  settled  in  Haverhill ;  and  Wil 
liam  P.,  who  was  killed  in  Sharon,  Vt.,  while  driving  a 
stage  team  of -four  horses,  which  went  over  the  bank  into 
White  River. 

3.  Samuel  Peters,  born  April  16,  1797  ;  married  Mar 
garet  Nelson,  of  Ryegate,  Vt.,  where  he  settled,  and  had 
two  sons  and  six  daughters,  the  most  of  whom  married 
and  settled  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

4.  Daniel  C.  Peters,  born  April  4th,  1799 ;    married 
Sally  White   of  Bradford,  and  settled  in  Peoria,  Illinois. 


139 

They  had  five   daughters,  two  of  whom  are  at  this  date 
married  in  that  State,  and  one  son,  who  died  young. 

5.  Hannah,  daughter  of  A.  B.  Peters,  born  April  18, 
1801,  died  May  3,  1853. 

6.  William  Peters,  born  December  14,  1803  ;  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  Haynes  Johnson,  of  Bradford, 
September  2,  1830.     She  died  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  Feb 
ruary  7,  1844,  in  the  forty-first  year  of  her  age.     They 
had  two  sons  and  one  daughter.     William  Francis,  at  this 
date  residing  in  Salmon   City,  Idaho ;    Charles  Edward 
married  Lucinda  E.  Hodgdon,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  and  is  a 
livery  stable  keeper  in  Bradford  village.     They  have  one 
son,  Charles  Henry,  and  one  daughter,  Lillie  May.     Mary 
Jane,  daughter  of  Win.  Peters,  married  Thomas  H.  Moore, 
and  resides  with  her  husband  at  Cambridgeport,  Mass. 

Mr.  William  Peters,  Jan.  19,  1845,  married  for  his  sec 
ond  wife  Hannah  Johnson,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and 
settled  in  Boston,  Mass.  Both  she  and  her  sister  Mary 
were  members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  this  their 
native  town.  Mrs.  Hannah  J.  Peters  died  in  Boston,  Feb 
ruary  5,  1872,  in  her  fifty -ninth  year.  Mr.  Peters  had  by 
this  marriage  one  son,  Alvah  Henry  Peters,  who  married 
Miss  Etta  Damrell,  and  settled  in  Boston  ;  and  one  daugh 
ter,  Martha  Nellie  Peters,  who  died  April  22,  1869,  in  her 
eighteenth  year. 

7.  Andrew   Bliss   Peters,  born  March  14,  1812,  mar 
ried  Susan  Jones,  of  Durham,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.;  had  one  son  and  a  daughter,  and  died  March 
9,  1857,  aged  forty-five  years,  lacking  three  days. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Bliss  Peters,  the  mother  of  this  large  family, 
died  March,  1816 ;  and  on  the  15th  of  September,  of  the 
same  year,  Esquire  Peters  married,  for  his  third  wife,  Ke- 
ziah  Howard,  a  good  lady'ol  Tamworth,  N.  H.,  born  at 
Bridge  water,  Mass.,  November  25,  1783.  On  her  marri 
age  with  Esquire  Peters,  she  moved  directly  to  her  Brad 
ford  home,  where  she  lived  very  nearly  fifty-six  years, 


140 

and  died  September  2,  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years,  nine  months  and  eight  days.     She  had  long  been 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Congregational  church  here. 
Andrew  B.  Peters  had  by  his  third  marriage  two  sons. 

1.  Joseph  Howard  Peters,  born  October  7,  1717,  mar 
ried  Clarissa  Culver  Washburn,  of  Lyme,  N.  H.,  Nov.  25, 
1841,  and  settled  on  the  old  home  farm,  where,  at  this 
writing,  he  still  resides.     Mr.  Peters,  though  mainly  de 
voted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  has  been  called  repeatedly 
to  serve  his  native  town  in  different  official  capacities ; 
in  1868-9  as  lister,  and  in  1870-1-2  as  chairman  of  the 
board  of  selectmen.     The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H. 
Peters  are  as  follows,  namely  : 

Andrew  Barnet  Peters,  born  March  10,  1843,  married 
Jennie  S.  Kessler,  May  14, 1872,  and  settled  in  Fitchburg, 
Mass. 

Mary  Ann,  born  June  23,  1845,  died  August  20,  1846. 

Mary  Ellen,  born  March  30,  1847,  married  Charles  A. 
Leavitt,  December  25,  1871,  and  is  settled  in  this  village. 

Clara  Emma,  born  June  15,  1848,  married  Andrew  G. 
Tarleton,  December  20,  1870,  and  settled  in  Woburn, 
Mass. 

Arthur  W.,  born  July  31, 1851,  married  Velma  L.  Jen 
kins,  of  this  town,  November  14,  1871,  and  remains  on 
the  old  homestead,  with  his  father. 

Minnie  S.,  born  June  4,  1855,  married  Job  Clement,  of 
Bradford,  March  17,  1872,  and  remains  in  her  native 
town. 

2.  Edmund  Fanning,  the  youngest  son  of  Andrew  B. 
Peters  and  his  third  wife,  born  September  5,  1822,  mar 
ried  Mary  Ann  Slack,  of  Wilmington,  Mass.,  has  had  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  and  resides  in  Charlestown,  near  Boston. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Peters,  and  their  daughters, 
M  i-s.  Leavitt  and  Mrs.  Clement,  were  all  members  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Bradford. 


141 


CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Baldwin  Family,  with  Their  Connections,  The  Pecketts,  Chases 
and  Strickland  s. 

Benjamin  Baldwin,  Esq.,  and  his  wife,  Lydia  Peters, 
were  natives  of  Hebron,  Conn.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
John  Peters,  Jr.,  of  that  place,  and  a  sister  of  General 
Absalom  and  Colonel  John  Peters,  men  of  distinction  in 
the  genalogy  of  the  Peters  family.  Mr.  Baldwin  and 
wife,  not  long  after  their  marriage,  emigrated  from  their 
native  town  in  Connecticut,  to  this  Coos  country,  then 
just  beginning  to  be  settled.  They  at  first  took  up  their 
abode  in  Thetfbrd,  Vt.  Among  the  first  settlers  there, 
were  John  Chamberlin,  Benjamin  Baldwin,  and  Joseph 
Hosford.  The  wives  of  Baldwin  and  Hosford  were  sis 
ters.  They  were  there  as  early  as  1765,  if  not  a  year 
sooner.  They  all  came  from  Hebron,  above  mentioned. 
The  Baldwins  remained  in  Thetford  not  more  than  two 
or  three  years,  when  they  removed  to  Orfbrd,  N.  H.  Their 
third  child,  Benjamin  P.,  was  born  there,  April  23,  1767. 
John  Mann,  Jr.,  his  relative,  is  said  to  be  the  first  English 
child  born  in  that  town,  May  21,  1766,  and  probably  Ben 
jamin  P.  Baldwin  was  the  second,  as  he  was  born  but  a 
few  months  later.  In  the  year  1774  Benjamin  Baldwin 
built  a  saw-mill  in  this,  then  Mooretown,  Vt.,  on  the  falls 
in  Wait's  River,  a  half  a  mile  or  so  above  its  confluence 
with  the  Connecticut.  His  wife's  brother,  Colonel  John 
Peters,  a  year  or  two  before,  had  erected  a  grist-mill  on 
the  same  stream,  a  short  distance  below.  The  desirable 
site  which  Baldwin  had  selected  for  his  saw-mill  was  for 
many  subsequent  years  occupied  in  the  same  way.  A 
grist-mill,  a  sash  and  blind  factory,  and  a  shop  for  the 

NOTE.— The  likeness  in  front  of  this  chapter  is  that  of  Benjamin  F.  Baldwin, 
Esq.,  (son  of  Benjamin  Baldwin,  the  immigrant),  and  is  from  the  same  engrav 
ing  as  were  the  likenesses  of  him  which  appeared  on  bills  issued  by  Bradford 
Bank,  years  since. 


142 

manufacture  of  mackerel  kits,  etc.,  have  superseded  the 
old  saw-mill,  and  are  full  of  business,  at  this  writing,  in 
the  same  locality.  The  white  two-story  house  on  the 
Western  bank  of  Wait's  River,  about  a  half  a  mile  above 
the  falls,  and  still  in  good  condition,  was  built  by  Mr. 
Baldwin,  and  there  he  lived  for  many  years,  and  finally 
died.  In  addition  to  lumber  business,  he  owned  and  cul 
tivated  a  good  farm,  and  was  a  good  deal  occupied  in  pub 
lic  affairs.  We  have  not  the  precise  date  of  his  settle 
ment  here,  but  it  must  have  been  about  the  time  of  his 
building  his  saw-mill,  in  1774.  In  the  year  1778  he  rep 
resented  this  town  in  the  convention  at  Windsor  "  to  take 
measures  for  the  organization  of  a  new  State."  He  also 
officiated,  at  least  in  1782  arid  1789,  as  Town  Clerk.  For 
how  many  years  he  performed  the  duties  of  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  does  not  at  present  appear.  Having  raised 
up  a  large  family,  and  long  lived,  comfortably  and  useful 
ly,  enjoying  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all  around  him, 
he  quietly  passed  away,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
His  funeral  services  were  performed  by  the  writer  of  this, 
on  Lord's  day,  February  22,  1818. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Peters  Baldwin  was  a  woman  highly  distin 
guished  for  her  cheerfulness,  resolution,  and  energy. 
Besides  bringing  up  a  large  family  of  her  own,  and  man 
aging  her  domestic  affairs  in  an  exemplary  manner,  she 
for  many  years  was  extensively,  and  with  remarkable  suc 
cess,  in  the  practice  of  midwifery.  Her  business  was 
not  confined  to  Bradford,  but  extended  into  the  neighbor 
ing  towns,  particularly  of  Corinth,  Fairlee,  Piermont,  and 
Orford.  When  possible  for  her  to  go,  whether  by  day  or 
night,  in  sunshine  or  storm,  she  w'as  ready.  A  great  part 
of  her  traveling  was  on  her  own  side-saddle ;  but  much 
also  on  her  pillion,  behind  the  man  on  horseback  who  had 
come  for  her.  How  it  was  possible  for  a  woman  situated 
as  she  was,  to  perform  such  an  amount  of  service  in  this 


143 

department  of  the  medical  profession,  seems  strange  in 
deed. 

From  an  old  memorandum  of  hers,  still  extant,  the  fol 
lowing  summary  has  been  gathered.  In  the  course  of 
fifty  years  and  six  months  subsequent  to  August  18, 1768, 
when  she  must  have  been  living  in  Orford,  this  remarka 
ble  woman  assisted  in  the  introduction  of  nine  hundred 
and  twenty-six  children  into  this  state  of  probation !  Of 
this  whole  number  four  hundred  and  eighty  were  sons, 
and  four  hundred  and  forty-six  were  daughters.  Of  twins 
there  were  ten  pairs,  or  nearly  one  pair  in  every  one  hun-j 
dred  of  children  born.  Five  of  these  pairs  consisted 
each  of  two  daughters,  one  pair  of  sons,  and  four  pairs  of 
a  son  and  daughter  each.  Of  the  nine  hundred  and  twen 
ty-six  children,  twenty-six  were  still-born ;  fifteen  of  these, 
including  one  pair  of  the  twins,  were  females,  and  eleven 
were  males,  that  is,  less  than  three  in  every  hundred. 
And  of  the  whole  number  born,  only  seven  were  illegiti 
mate  ;  namely,  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  In  all  these 
cases  of  birth  only  one  mother  died  in  child-bed.  In  that 
case  her  infant,  female,  died  with  her.  Previous  to  1773 
Mrs.  Baldwin  had  officiated  only  on  eight  such  occasions, 
and  her  last  case  was  January  26,  1819.  She  died  about 
seven  years  later  September  3,  1825,  at  her  old  home,  in 
the  family  of  her  son,  Benjamin  P.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  She  was,  in  the  days  which 
tried  men's  souls,  decidedly  patriotic,  and  so  continued. 
She  was,  during  its  existence,  a  member  of  the  Congre 
gational  church  in  this  place,  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
Rev.  Gardner  Kellogg,  and  is  understood  to  have  retained 
her  hope  in  Christ  to  the  last.  A  woman  who  accom 
plished  a  work  so  great  and  good,  deserves  to  be  held  in 
honorable  and  lasting  remembrance. 

Benjamin  Baldwin,  Esq.,  and  wife,  were  blessed  with  a 
family  of  four  daughters  and  five  sons,  all  of  whom,  with 


144     • 

the  exception  of  one  of  the  sons,  lived  to  marry,  and  have 
families  of  their  own. 

1.  Lydia,  born  November  26,  1762,  married  Andrew 
Crook,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.     He  was  for  many   years  a 
Deacon   of   the   Congregational    church  there,  and  was 
justly  esteemed  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth.     They 
had  a  family  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters.     Lydia 
married  Joseph  Root ;  Betsey,  Daniel  Hogaii :  Cynthia, 
James  Robinson,  all  of  Piermont.     John  married   Anna 
Dutton,  of  Orford,  and  had  one    son,  Andrew,  and  one 
daughter,  Sarah  Anna,  wife  of  George  Jenkins,  of  Brad 
ford.     These   all   had   children.     Sarah   Crook   arid    her 
brothers,   Andrew  and  Isaac,   died   unmarried.     Of  the 
above  named  children  of  Deacon   Crook  and  wife,  Mrs. 
Robenson,  at  this  writing,  is  the  only  individual  remain 
ing. 

2.  Elizabeth,  born  November  20,  1764,  married  John 
Moore,  Esq.,  of  Bradford.     He  built,  and  with  his  family 
long  occupied,  the  large  yellow  house,  still  standing  on  a 
lofty  eminence  beside  the  South  road,  some  two  miles 
West  of  the  village.      The   original   occupants   of  that 
house  are  now  all  gone,  some  to  their  long  home,  and  the 
rest,  with  their  families,  scattered  widely  abroad  through 
our  country.     Not  one  of  the  descendants  is  now  left  in 
Bradford.     Esquire  Moore  and  wife  were  worthy  mem 
bers  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford,  and  peace 
fully  departed  to  their  final  rest  in  good  old  age. 

They  left  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  John,  the  old 
est  son,  married  Mary  Dyke,  a  good  woman,  whose  intel 
lectual  powers,  after  many  years,  failed,  and  she  died  at 
the  asylum  for  the  insane,  at  Brattleboro.  Mr.  Moore  was 
an  honest  farmer  in  Bradford,  and  a  humble  Christian, 
whose  end  was  peace.  He  died  March  16,  1873,  in  the 
the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  never  had  son 
or  daughter.  His  sister  Betsey  married  Timothy  Under 
wood,  of  Bradford,  and  removed  to  Hard  wick :  Polly  mar- 


445 

ried  Nathaniel  Waugh,  of  Bradford ;  Anna  married  Jo- 
siah  Moore,  of  West  Fairlee,  and  removed  with  him  into 
the  Western  country ;  Lydia  married  Jonathan  Austin, 
of  Bradford,  and  went  with  him  to  Michigan  ;  Roswell 
married,  and  died  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan ;  Benjamin 
married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Bliss,  of  Vershire  ;  he 
was  a  fine  singer,  and  devoted  Christian,  arid  died  of  chol 
era  at  Maumee,  Irid.  William  spent  some  time  as  a  sailor, 
returned  home,  married  a  Miss  Wells,  of  Newbury,  and 
removed  West.  The  several  members  of  this  family  are 
understood  to  have  had  children  of  their  own,  of  whom 
no  particular  account  can  here  be  given.  Most  of  the 
parents,  if  not  all,  were  esteemed  good  Christian  people. 

3.  Benjamin  P.   Baldwin.     01   him  and  his  family,  a 
separate  account  hereafter. 

4.  Theopolis,  born  August  25,  1769,  married  Hannah 
Mann,  a  sister  of  John  Mann,  Esq.,  of  Orford,  N.  H.     They 
lived  for  several  years  in  Bradford,  and  thence  moved  to 
the  township  of  Holland,  Erie  county,  New  York,  where 
they  died.     They  had  at  least  four  children,  John,  Han 
nah,  Harriet,  and  William. 

5.  Cynthia,  born  May  9,  1772.     Died  young. 

6.  Lucy,  born  at  Bradford,  February  9,  1775,  married 
William  Kendall,  of  this  town.     They  had  one  son,  Lang- 
don,  who  became  a  resident  of  Barnet,  Vt.     At  this  date 
still  living. 

7.  Absalom,  born  March  10,  1778,  married  Miss  Lydia 
Bliss,  of  this  place,  and  long  resided  on  his  farm  in  what 
is  now  called  West  Bradford,  keeping  entertainment  for 
travelers.     Mr.  Baldwin  died  April  10,  1850,  aged  seven 
ty-two   years  and  one  month.     Mrs.  Baldwin,  his  wife, 
died  February  4,  1860,  in  the   seventy-seventh  year  of 
her  age.     These  parents  had  four  sons  and  four  daugh 
ters.     One  of  the  sons  died  in  childhood.     Absalom,  Jr., 
born  October  2,  1808,  died  June  1,  1842.     Lydia,  born 
August  4,  1804,  married  William  Clifford,  had  one  or  more 


children,  arid  died  November  17,  1840.  William,  born 
July  25,  1807,  married  Judith  Bur  gin,  had  one  son,  went 
to  California,  where  he  remained  for  several  years,  and 
then  resumed  his  residence  in  Bradford,  where  he  died 
suddenly,  September,  1874.  Hannah,  born  April  11, 
1815,  married  John  Shumway,  of  Bradford.  George, 
the  youngest  member  of  this  family,  born  November  24, 
1817,  occupied  the  old  homestead  of  his  father,  attending 
not  merely  to  agricultural  pursuits,  but  being  somewhat 
extensively  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  business  of  a 
drover,  buying  sheep  and  cattle  in  Vermont,  and  selling 
the  same  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  He  married  Miss  Han 
nah  Merrill,  of  the  same  neighborhood  with  himself.  She 
was  born  there  February  13, 1822,  and  their  marriage  took 
place  December  25,  1840.  They  were  blessed  with  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Abbie  W.  Baldwin  was  born 
May  24,  1844;  Jesse  A.,  June  24,  1847;  George  W.,  born 
June  25,  1852;  Ida  H.,  born  January  25,  1855.  All  still 
residents  of  Bradford ;  Miss  Ida  pursuing  a  course  of  ed 
ucation  at  the  Abbott  Academy  for  young  ladies,  at  An- 
dover,  Mass. 

8.  William,  the  fourth  son  of  Benjamin  Baldwin,  Esq., 
and  wife,  was  born  September  23,  1782.  He  had  a  liking 
for  the  sea,  and  for  some  years  pursued  the  business  of  a 
sailor ;  but  finally  settled  down  in  his  native  place.  He 
married  Miss  Hannah  Webster,  of  Massachusetts,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  Emery,  and  a  daughter,  Lydia,  who  mar 
ried  Washington  Merrill,  of  Methuen,  in  that  state,  arid 
died  there.  Mr.  Baldwin,  as  life  was  declining,  became 
melancholy,  partially  insane,  and  terminated  his  mortal 
existence  by  an  act  of  suicide. 

And  this  suggests  the  remark  that  there  have  been, 
within  the  recollection  of  the  writer,  eight  instances  of 
that  lamentable  crime  in  Bradford — six  men  and  two 
women.  Of  the  men,  one  drowned  himself  in  a  small  brook, 
three  hanged  themselves,  one  shot  himself,  arid  one  took 


147 

poison.  Of  the  two  women,  one  hanged  herself,  and  the 
other  cut  her  own  throat.  Three  or  four  other  women 
have  i-n  different  ways  attempted  the  fatal  act,  and  failed. 
In  most,  or  all,  of  these  cases,  the  individuals  were  re^ 
spectable  people,  in  comfortable  circumstances ;  but  who, 
under  the  various  trials  incident  to  the  present  life,  had 
fallen  into  a  state  of  Melancholy  so  criminal  that,  regard 
less  of  consequences,  they  committed  the  fatal  act,  prob 
ably,  in  most  cases,  under  the  false  impression  that  it  was 
less  criminal  to  take  their  own  lives  than  it  would  be  to 
take  the  life  of  any  other  parson.  Let  these  sad  cases  be 
a  loud  warning  to  survivors,  to  guard  against  all  gloomi 
ness  of  mind,  against  every  thought  tending  toward  self- 
destruction.  Bear  the  trials  of  life  with  Christian  sub 
mission,  wait  quietly  on  God,  humbly  and  faithfully  aiming 
to  do  his  pleasure,  and  all  with  you  will  soon  be  well. 

9.  John  Dennie,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family 
of  Benjamin  Baldwin  and  wife,  was  born  June  8,  1785. 
He  married  Abigail,  daughter  of  Joshua  Barron,  of  Brad 
ford.  In-  the  course  of  his  life  he,  like  many  other  men, 
became  deplorably  intemperate,  in  the  use  both  of  whis 
key  and  tobacco  ;  and  is  said  to  have  been  thoroughly  re 
formed,  in  a  sudden  and  very  remarkable  manner.  The 
story,  as  told  me  by  a  near  relative,  is,  substantially,  this : 
Mr.  Baldwin,  in  the  silence  of  night,  is  roused  from  his 
slumbers  by  a  loud  knocking  at  his  bedroom  door.  He 
listens  and  hears,  or  thinks  he  hears,  an  unearthly  voice 
saying,  with  authority,  "  John !  leave  off  drinking  whis 
key."  With  consternation,  but  firmness,  he  replies,  "I 
will,  if  you  will  take  away  my  appetite  for  it."  A  solemn 
pause — then,  "John !  quit,  entirely,  the  use  of  tobacco." 
His  reply  the  same  as  before.  Then  he  is  left  in  solemn 
silence  to  reflect,  with  fear  and  trembling,  on  what  he  had 
heard,  and  the  critical  circumstances  in  which  he  found 
himself.  And,  marvellous  to  tell,  his  appetite,  both  for 
intoxicating  liquor  and  for  tobacco  also,  from  that  time 


148 

ceased  !  and  John  became  in  both  respects  a  thorough 
going  temperance  man.  My  informant  was  inclined  to 
think  that  there  might  not  have  been  anything  super 
natural  in  the  case.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  effect  seems 
to  have  been  most  happy.  Mr.  Baldwin  and  wife  were 
then  residing  in  the  Western  country,  and  had  previous 
ly  embraced  the  religion  of  the  Mormons.  While  making 
arrangements  to  go  and  unite  with  them,  at  Nauvoo,  they 
both  died,  at  Racine,  Wisconsin,  leaving  one  son,  John, 
and  two  daughters.  Julia  and  Lydia. 

3.  Benjamin  Peters  Baldwin,  the  eldest  son  in  this 
first  family  of  the  name  of  Baldwin,  in  Bradford,  was  born 
at  Orford,  N.  H.,  April  23,  1767.  At  the  age  of  eight 
years  he  came  with  his  parents  to  reside  in  this  town, 
then  almost  a  wilderness,  the  year  in  which  the  memo 
rable  battle  at  Bunker  Hill  was  fought ;  and  here  contin 
ued  to  witness,  and  take  an  active  part  in,  the  various 
endeavors  here  made  for  the  improvement  of  society,  dur 
ing  the  seventy-eight  subsequent  years  ol  his  life.  His 
principal  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer,  on  the  same  place 
which  had  been  cultivated  by  his  father,  though  he  had  oc 
casion  to  attend  to  various  other  kinds  of  useful  business. 
His  advantages  for  acquiring  a  thorough  education  were, 
in  the  days  of  his  youth,  necessarily  very  limited ;  yet  he 
so  managed  as  to  become  a  successful  teacher  of  common 
schools,  a  business  in  which,  while  a  young  man,  lie  took 
great  interest,  and  gave  good  satisfaction.  He  also  made 
himself  well  acquainted  with  the  art  of  surveying ;  and 
for  many  years,  indeed  during  his  subsequent  life,  had 
many  calls  for  his  services  in  that  business,  not  only  in 
this  but  other  places.  He  also  owned  a  saw-mill,  at  which 
an  extensive  business  was  for  many  years  carried  on.  In 
town  affairs,  parish  and  educational  matters,  and  as  Jus 
tice  of  the  Peace,  his  advice  and  services  were  deemed 
almost  indispensible.  He  was  an  active  man,  and  always 
had  his  mind  and  hands  full  of  business. 


149 

Esquire  Baldwin  was  a  happy  man ;  more  happy  at 
least  than  most  men  are  ;  he  was  accustomed  to  meet  us 
with  a  smiling  countenance  :  the  pressure  of  his  warm 
hand  was  peculiarly  cordial,  and  his  words  ever  affection 
ate  and  kind.  He  shed  sunshine  about  him,  Avherever  he 
went.  He  was  a  man  of  truth,  of  strict  integrity  and  up 
rightness  in  all  his  transactions.  You  might  have  com 
mitted  to  him  any  amount  of  money,  untold,  with  perfect 
safety.  He  was  prudent  and  charitable  in  speaking  of 
others ;  a  peacemaker  in  society,  cheerfully  doing  good 
to  all,  as  he  had  opportunity.  He  honored  the  Sabbath, 
and  was  strict  in  his  attendance  on  public  worship;  and 
forward  to  do  his  part,  not  only  for  the  support  of  the 
gospel  at  home,  but  for  its  universal  promulgation.  He 
felt  a  lively  interest  in  the  right  training  of  the  rising- 
generation,  and  watched  over  their  progress  in  useful 
knowledge  and  virtuous  ways,  with  parental  solicitude 
and  satisfaction.  He  was,  indeed,  an  honor  and  blessing 
to  this  community,  and  especially  to  his  own  family,  and 
somewhat  numerous  relatives. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  November  17,  1796,  Mr. 
Baldwin  married  Miss  Mehitable  Gordon,  of  Windham, 
X.  JELj  who  continued  his  faithful  companion  during  the 
remaining  fifty-seven  years  of  his  life.  In  the  course  of 
the  year  1828,  Capt.  Baldwin  and  wife,  under  a  deep  con 
viction  of  duty,  and  from  love  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  as 
they  trusted,  made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and 
were  received  into  communion  with  the  Congregational 
church,  with  which  they  had  long  been  accustomed  to 
unite  in  public  worship.  Their  path,  during  the  remnant 
of  their  days,  was  as  the  shining  light :  and  they  both 
finally  departed  this  life  sustained  and  comforted  by  the 
consolations  which  the  gospel  affords  to  all  the  truly 
pious.  Mr.  Baldwin  died  November  6, 1853,  in  the  eighty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age  ;  and  Mrs.  Baldwin,  his  wife,  Jan 
uary  14,  1857,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 


150 

This  worthy  couple,  at  their  decease,  left  an  interesting 
family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  a  brief 
account  will  now  be  given.  One  daughter  and  two  sons  had 
previously  died  in  childhood. 

1.  Cynthia,  born    December  3,   1797,  married    Giles 
Peckett,  by  occupation  a  blacksmith,  who  lived  in  Brad 
ford,  and  died  there,  leaving  a  family  of  four  sons  and 
five  daughters.     Their  eldest  daughter,  Cynthia  Peckett, 
married  Lewis  Brown,  of  St.  Johnsbury  ;    Mary,  Thomas 
Brickett,  of  Boston;  Frank  pursued  the  life  o'fa  mariner, 
was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Captain,  and  was  on  board 
of  t  he  Glasgow,  which  sailed  from  Liverpool  for  Philadel 
phia,  and  was  lost  at  sea,  leaving  not  a  solitary  individual 
to   tell  by    what   sad   disaster.      Ellen   married   Charles 
Browning  ;  and  Maria,  Edwin  Plympton,  both  of  Boston  ; 
Edwin   married    Mary    Ann  Worthen,   of  Bradford,   but 
removed  to  Boston ;   James  also  married  and  became  a 
resident  of  the  same  city ;  the  gentlemen  all  being  pros 
perously  engaged  in  various  commercial  sorts  of  business ; 
John  Wesley  married  and  established  himself  in  business 
at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Louisa  married  Dana  Patten,  a  liter 
ary  gentleman  and  teacher  in  Winchester,  Mass.     These 
various  families  take  great  pleasure  in  making  their  good 
mother  Peckett  as  happy   as  possible.     Mr.  Patten  has 
since  removed  to  Portland,  Maine,  engaged  in  his  chosen 
profession. 

2.  Louisa,  the  second  daughter  of  B.  P.  Baldwin,  born 
September  1,   1800,    married   Epapras   B.  Chase,  eldest 
son  of  Moses  Chase,   Esq.,  of  Bradford.     Her  husband, 
General  Chase,  as  he  was  afterwards   styled,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Lyndon,  Vt.,  and  was  there  for  many  .years 
engaged  in  commercial,  agricultural,  railroad,  and  banking- 
business,  and  was  quite  successful  in  his  various  pursuits. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  much  respected,  and  both  died 
giving  highly  satisfactory  evidence  of  being  prepared  for 
a  better  world.      They  left  at  their  decease   two   sons, 


151 

Henry  and  Charles,  with  families  of  their  own ;  and  five 
daughters,  namely,  Charlotte,  wife  of  Dr.  Cahoon,  since 
deceased,  Emily,  Adaline,  Mary  and  Martha  ;  all,  both  sons 
and  daughters,  well  educated  and  highly  estimable  young- 
people,  living  near  each  other  in  Lyndon. 

-3.  Susan  Baldwin,  born  August  15, 1802,  married  Hor 
ace  Strickland,  of  Bradford,  a  gentleman  for  a  long  time 
engaged  in  the  foundry  business  here ;  Town  Clerk  of 
Bradford  for  one  year,  Representative  for  two  years,  and 
Side  Judge  of  Orange  County  for  two  years.  They  had 
two  daughters.  Miss  Charlotte  spent,  not  only  in  Canada 
but  in  France  and  Switzerland,  both  time  and  mone}T  in 
the  diligent  study  of  the  French  language  and  literature, 
and  turned  her  acquisitions  to  good  account,  while  offici 
ating  as  a  highly  esteemed  teacher  in  the  Abbott  Acade 
my  for  Ladies,  at  Andover,  Mass.  Her  sister,  Lucy  Ann, 
married  Charles  B.  Botsford,  a  pious  man,  and  merchant, 
in  Boston,  and  took  up  her  residence  there.  Both  Mrs, 
Strickland  and  her  daughters  were  beloved  members  ol 
the  same  church  in  Bradford  to  which  her  parents  had 
belonged.  Mrs.  S.  died  at  Bradford,  October-4,  1874,  aged 
seventy-two  years. 

4.  Benjamin  Gordon  Baldwin  was  born  May  13,  1806. 
When  about  eight  years  of  age  he  met  with  a  sad  disas 
ter.  One  winter  day,  when  going  to  the  village,  he  joined 
a  lumberman's  team,  moving  in  the  same  direction,  and, 
full  of  boyish  animation  to  catch  a  ride,  mounted  a  heavy 
timber,  the  hind  end  of  which  was  dragging  on  the  ground. 
By  some  mishap  one  of  his  feet  was  caught  between  the 
log  and  frozen  ground,  and  became  horribly  crushed.  It 
was  supposed  at  first  that  amputation  must  be  the  result, 
but  the  conclusion  of  the  surgeons  was  to  make  an  effort 
to  save  it,  which  proved  successful,  though  the  youthful 
sufferer  ever  after  carried  with  him  an  effectual  memento 
of  the  disaster.  This  event,  it  is  believed,  contributed  an 
influence  to  change  his  whole  course  of  subsequent  life 


152 

and  to  make  him  a  more  distinguished  and  useful  man 
than  he  otherwise  might  have  been. 

Gordon,  in  due  season,  determined  to  acquire,  if  possi 
ble,  a  liberal  education,  and  prepare  for  the  business"  of 
professional  life.  He  fitted  for  College  under  the  instruc 
tion  of  his  pastor  and  friend,  Rev.  8.  McKeen,  and  gradu 
ated  at  Dartmouth  in  the  class  of  1827.  Among  his  class 
mates  were  John  K.  Converse,  Alpheus  Crosby,  Sewell 
Tenney,  and  others  of  like  stamp.  Mr.  Baldwin  studied 
the  profession  of  law,  and  became  established  in  honor 
able  and  successful  business  at  Pottsdam,  N.  Y.  He 
there  continued,  enjoying  the  high  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  January, 
1873,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Among  other 
pleasant  things  said  of  him,  in  the  sermon  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Furbish,  at  his  funeral,  are  the  following  :  "  Benjamin  G. 
Baldwin  united  with  the  Congregational  church  in  Potts- 
dam  July  5,  1835.  He  realized  that  he  was  not  his  own, 
but  had  been  bought  with  a  price,  and  consecrated  freely 
his  unusual  powers,  of  mind,  heart  and  Avill  to  the  Redeem 
er's  service." 

"  From  this  consecration  resulted  his  rare  example  of 
Christian  benevolence.  He  did  not  save  his  wealth  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  it  away  in  the  hour  of  death  ;  but 
extraordinary  benevolence,  directed  by  great  wisdom, 
characterized  his  entire  life. 

"  Another  fruit  of  his  Christian  life  was  his  conscien 
tiousness.  In  whatever  position  of  life  he  moved,  he  im 
pressed  all  about  him  that  he  was  determined,  at  all  events, 
to  do  right.  This  stern,  unflinching  rectitude  he  exhibit 
ed  in  a  marked  degree  Avhile  practicing  law,  and  while  he 
held  offices  of  trust  from  his  fellow  citizens. 

"  He  loved  the  House  of  God,  and  all  its  ordinances 
and  here  renewed  his  strength.  His  place  was  regularly 
filled  in  the  Bible  class,  and  he  was  a  pillar  in  the  church. 
He  was  a  diligent  man,  and  felt  that  he  had  work  to  per- 


153 

form  while  God  continued  him  here ;  work,  not  only  for 
himself,  but  others ;  and  up  to  the  hour  of  his  last  sick 
ness  he  willingly  spent,  and  spared  not  himself.  May  his 
piety,  his  rectitude,  his  patience  and  well-doing,  be  emu 
lated  by  us  all,  and  our  town  shall  never  cease  to  bless 
him."  TJie  memory  of  such  a  man  is  indeed  precious. 
Mr.  Baldwin  married  Miss  Emeline  Lamphear,  of  New 
Hampshire,  an  estimable  and  pious  lady,  who  survived 
him.  They  had  no  children. 

5.  George  Peters  Baldwin,  born  January  22,  1.808. 
Spent  the  years  of  his  minority  with  his  parents,  engaged 
chiefly  in  agricultural  and  educational  pursuits.  When 
in  his  twenty-fourth  year,  he  determined  to  leave  home 
and  make  trial  of  the  business  and  fortunes  of  a  sailor. 
In  the  Summer  of  1832  he  engaged  with  Captain  Briggs, 
of  the  whaleship  Frances,  and  went  on  a  voyage  around 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  Tin's 
voyage  was  so  satisfactory  that  he  went  on  a  second,  on 
board  the  same  ship,  and  to  the  same  ocean,  in  search  of 
whales.  These  voyages  occupied  about  two  years.  He 
tlien  shipped  aboard  the  Franklin,  Captain  Davis,  for  a 
voyage  around  Cape  Horn,  into  the  Pacific,  in  pursuit  of 
sperm  whales  ;  visited  the  Friendly,  the  Navigator's,  the 
Galapagos,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  latter  group 
three  times,  then  went  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  to  Colum 
bia  River,  and  thence  along  the  Coast  at  Cape  Horn  again, 
and  reached  home  after  an  absence  of  three  years  and 
five  months.  He  next  went  out  as  Mate,  aboard  the 
America,  for  a  cruise  in  the  North  Atlantic,  especially 
around  the  Azores,  and  off  the  coast  of  Guinea.  This 
vovage  occupied  one  year ;  and  the  four  voyages  about 
six  years  and  a  half.  On  their  Pacific  cruise  they  took 
fifty-three  sperm  whales,  affording  two  thousand  and  two 
hundred  barrels  of  oil. 

Having  had  satisfactory  experience  of  the  whaler's  life, 
he  returned  to  Bradford,  and  settled  down  again  among 

11 


154 

his  kindred  and  old  friends.  He  married  Miss  Lydia 
Strickland,  and,  in  due  course  of  time,  was  blessed  with  an 
interesting  family  of  children,  of  whom  further  mention 
will  be  made  presently. 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  called  by  his  fellow  citizens,  not  only 
of  Bradford,  but  of  Orange  County,  to  fill  various  official  po 
sitions  of  public  trust  and  importance.  He  was  Town  Clerk 
of  Bradford  from  1846  to  1855,  inclusive;  Representative 
in  the  State  Legislature  during  the  sessions  of  1843,  1844, 
and  1847;  State  Senator  in  1851  and  1852;  Assistant 
Judge  of  Orange  County  Court  for  the  years  1847  and 
1848,  and  County  Commissioner  for  Orange  County  under 
the  law  regulating  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors,  during 
the  years  1860,  1861,  and  1862.  After  a  release  from 
these  various  public  services,  Mr.  Baldwin  sold  his  real 
estate  in  Bradford  and  bought  a  homestead  in  Concord, 
Mass.,  but  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  his  children  all 
being  settled  in  new  homes,  he  returned  in  rather  broken 
health,  to  spend  with  his  beloved  wife  the  evening  of  their 
days  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  amid  old  friends  and  fa 
miliar  prospects  of  peculiar  variety  and  beauty. 

At  this  writing,  June,  1873,  Judge  Baldwin  and  wite 
have  one  son  and  three  daughters,  all  happily  married,  and 
pleasantly  situated,  and  what  is  still  better,  all,  as  well  as 
their  mother,  professedly  and  hopefully  pious.  May  pa 
rents  and  children,  the  entire  family,  reach  at  last  the 
haven  of  eternal  rest. 

Children  of  Mr.  George  P.  Baldwin  and  wife.  Lucy 
Emeline,  born  July  24,  1840  ;  married  Septembers,  1861, 
Edward  V.  R.  Evans,  attorney  at  law,  then  of  Piermont, 
X.  H.,  recently  of  Chelsea,  Mass.  Lydia  Angeline,  born 
September  30,  1841 ;  married  Thomas  Stanton  Brownell, 
of  Colchester,  Vt.,  by  occupation  a  farmer. 

Benjamin  George  Baldwin,  born  February  17,  1847, 
married  Miss  Ella  Nutt,  and  is  a  merchant  in  Hartford, 
Conn. 


155 

Julia  Isabelle,  born  June  11,  1848,  married  August  22, 
1869,  Amos  H.  Brown,  and  resides  at  Fitchburg,  Mass. 

Two  sons  and  two  daughters,  whose  names  are  not  here 
given,  died  in  childhood. 

6.  James  Whitelaw  Baldwin,  the  next  son  of  Benja 
min   P.    Baldwin,   and    probably  named  for  his  father's 
friend,  James  Whitelaw,  the  Surveyor  General  of  Ver 
mont,  was  born  September  12,  1810.     His  youthful  days 
were  spent  at  home,  in  Bradford.     He  married  Miss  Han 
nah  C.   Bean,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  November  18,  1835. 
He  has  been  long  and  successfully  engaged  in  the  mark 
eting  business  of  Boston,  and  owns  and  occupies  a  beau 
tiful  residence  in  North  Cambridge.     He  was  an  original 
director  in  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  also  for  several  years 
President  of  the  Fanieul  Hall  Bank,  both  in  Boston.     Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Baldwin  had  a  family  of  ten  children.     Of  these, 
one  daughter  and  two  sons  died  in  their  childhood. 

Helen  Maria,  born  November  18, 1837,  married  J.Hen 
ry  Nason,  of  Cambridge,  and  died  in  the  thirty-fourth  vear 
ol  her  age. 

Benjamin  Gordon,  born  February  29,  1840,  was  at  this 
writing  in  Colorado,  engaged  in  mining  business. 

Annie  Warren,  born  October  16,  1846;  married  Henry 
W.  K.  Cutter,  of  Cambridge,  subsequently  of  Chicago. 

Edward  Everett,  born  August  7,  1848,  is  of  the  firm  of 
C.  Wright  &  Co.,  lard  refiners  and  oil  manufacturers,  Bos 
ton.  He  married  Caroline  M.  Prichard,  of  Bradford,  Vt., 
September  1,  1874. 

Eugene,  born  December  2,  1850,  is  with  C.  <fe  D.  Cox, 
wholesale  shoe  dealers,  Boston. 

James  W.,  born  August  lr  1853,  is  with  H.  Mayo  &  Co., 
fish  dealers,  Boston.  And  Miss  Hattie  Parks,  the  young 
est  member  of  the  family,  born  January  4,  1856,  was,  at 
the  same  time,  1873,  pursuing  her  course  of  education  at 
Abbott  Female  Academy,  Andover,  Mass. 

7.  Charles    Cotesworth    Pinkney,   the    next    son   of 


156 

Benjamin  P.  Baldwin,  was  born  December  28,  1812.  He 
married  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Woodward,  of  Haverhill,  N.  H. 
They  long  resided  in  Bradford  village,  where  she  died, 
January  8,  1867,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  daughters  and  three  sons.  Of  these, 
one  son  and  one  daughter  died  in  their  childhood,  at  Brad 
ford.  In  the  autumn  of  1867  Mr.  Baldwin  removed,  with 
liis  family,  to  Jessup,  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  where  he  con 
tinues  to  reside.  Of  his  family,  it  may  be  remarked  that 
at  this  time,  June,  1873,  Sarah  Mehitabel,  born  July  8, 
1837,  is  there,  living  with  her  married  sister,  Mrs.  Gates; 
Lucy  Adelaide,  born  September  1,  1839.  is  teaching  in 
NYw  Jersey;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  September  11,  1841, 
married  Theodore  White,  and  lives  at  Spencer,  Iowa; 
Jane  Hitta,  born  March  31,  1844,  teaching  near  home; 
Helen  Caroline,  born-  -  17, 1846,  married  Willis  H. 
Grates,  of  Sibley,  Iowa;  James  Whitelaw,  born  April  3, 
1850,  is  married  and  living  with  his  father;  Susan,  the 
youngest  daughter,  who  is  also  a  teacher,  and  Charles,  the 
youngest  son,  remain  with  their  father,  who  has  a  second 

wife. 

% 

Mr.  C.  C.  P.  Baldwin,  Avhile  resident  in  his  native  State, 
was  for  several  years  High  Sheriff  of  Orange  County, 
and  also  for  a  time  United  States  Marshal  for  the  District 
of  Vermont. 

8.  Lucy,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Benjamin  P.  Bald 
win,  born  January  30,  1815,  having  a  decided  taste  for 
literature,  acquired  a  fine  education,  and  devoted  several 
of  the  best  years  of  her  life  to  the  giving  of  instruction 
to  young  ladies,  in  different  Seminaries  of  high  respecta 
bility.  She  was  for  some  time  Principal  of  the  female 
department  of  the  Academy,  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  and  sub 
set  (iiently  teacher  of  French,  Geometry,  and  Botany,  in 
the  Ohio  Female  College,  near  Cincinnati.  November  10, 
1842,  Miss  Baldwin  married  Mr.  Alphonso  Wood,  a  gradu 
ate  of  Dartmouth  College,  a  licensed  preacher  of  the  Con- 


157 

gregational  order,  arid  at  that  time  a  teacher  in  the  Acad 
emy,  at  Meriden,  N.  H.  Mr.  Wood  subsequently  pre 
pared  and  published  a  valuable  work  on  Botany,  and  was 
for  some  years  Professor  of  natural  history  and  ancient 
languages,  in  the  Female  College  of  Ohio,  and  finally 
President  of  the  same.  To  advance  the  cause  of  useful 
learning  and  evangelical  religion,  and  thus  do  good  to  all, 
as  they  bid  opportunity,  appears  to  have  been  the  perse 
vering  endeavor  of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,  in  the  vari 
ous  stations  which  they  were  called  to  occupy.  Mrs. 
Wood  died  at  West  Farms,  near  New  York,  where  he, 
again  married,  has  continued  to  reside.  She  left  with  her 
husband  one  son  and  one  daughter.  The  son,  Frank 
Wood,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  is  a  missionary  under  the  patronage  of  the  Presby 
terian  Board  in  Syria,  and  the  daughter,  Lilia,  a  Christian 
young  lady,  and  teacher  of  music,  remains  with  her 
father  at  West  Farms,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Lucy  B.  Wood  died 
June  6,  1868,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  her  age,  and  her 
remains  repose  with  those  of  her  kindred  dead,  in  Brad 
ford,  Vt. 

9.     William  Edwin,  the  fifth  son  of  Benjamin  P.  Bald- 

*"win,  born  March   1,  1817,  died  at  the  early  age  of  eight 

years.  One  other  son  and  a  daughter  died  in  their  infancy. 

Here  we  take  our  leave  of  this  large  family  of  the 
Baldwins,  with  emotions  both  of  joy  and  sadness;  of 
gratitude  and  cordial  good  will,  in  remembrance  both  of 
the  living  and  the  deceased. 


158 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Deacon  Reuben  Martin  and  Family — Deacon  Joseph  Clark  and 
Family — Rev.  Dr.  Martin  Ruter — The  Fifield  Boy  who  was  Lost- 
ami  Found. 

DEACON  REUBEN  MARTIN  AND  FAMILY. 

Reuben  Martin  must  have  taken  up  his  residence  in 
this  town  within  twenty  years  after  its  first  settlement. 
The  precise  date  has  not  been  ascertained  by  the  writer. 
He  came,  while  a  young  man,  from  New  Hampshire,  it  is 
believed  from  Weare,  or  some  town  in  its  immediate  vi 
cinity.  He  made  for  himself  a  farm  on  the  highest  ele 
vation  over  which  the  old  South  road  from  Bradford  Vil 
lage  to  Corinth  Center  now  passes  ;  where  he  long  lived, 
and  finally  died.  His  brother  Samuel,  father  of  Rev. 
Solon  Martin,  now  of  West  Fairlee,  occupied  a  tarm  a  little 
further  West.  Reuben  Martin  was  for  several  years  a 
Deacon  of  the  first  and  only  Calvinistic  Baptist  church  in 
Bradford,  wjiose  meeting  house  stood  at  the  North  end  of 
the  Upper  Plain,  nearly  opposite  to  where  Mre.  James 
McDufFee  now  lives.  Both  the  church  and  their  house  of 
worship  had  disappeared  long  before  his  decease ;  but  he 
held  fast  his  integrity,  and  honorably  sustained  his  eccle 
siastical  title  to  the  day  oi  his  death. 

The  wife  of  Deacon  Reuben  Martin  was  Sarah  White,  a 
daughter  of  Hon.  Noah  White,  for  some  time  one  of  the 
Judges  of  Orange  County  Court.  Her  parents  emigrated 
from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  in  1763.  They  passed  through  the 
then  trackless  wilderness  between  Concord,  N.  H.,  and 
Newbury,  Vt.,  bringing  their  infant  Sarah  in  their  arms, 
and  camping  out  at  night  on  the  ground,  with  no  roof  over 
their  heads  but  the  star  spangled  canopy  of  the  heavens. 
The  family  remained  at  Newbury  for  a  few  years  only, 
when  they  removed  to  Bradford,  where  this  daughter  sub- 


159 

sequently  united  with  the  Baptist  church,  married  Dea. 
Reuben  Martin,  and  became  the  mother  of  four  sons  and 
seven  daughters  ;  all  of  whom  lived  to  years  of  maturity, 
and  nearly  all  married  and  had  respectable  families  of 
their  own.  This  mother  in  Israel  having  lived  in  Brad 
ford  a  little  over  seventy-two  years,  on  7th  of  June,  1840, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  nine  months,  passed 
away,  sustained  and  cheered  by  the  hope  of  a  glorious 
immortality. 

The  early  settlers  with  large  families  were  sometimes 
reduced  to  what  we  should  now  think  rather  straightened 
circumstances.  On  one  occasion,  as  we  are  told,  Deacon 
Martin,  to  obtain  bread  for  his  family,  traveled  to  Weare, 
N.  H.,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles  or  over,  and 
brought  home,  on  his  horse's  back,  one  bushel  of  rye  and 
two  bushels  of  corn. 

Dea.  Reuben  Martin  died  at  his  old  home,  in  Bradford, 
May  23,  1841,  aged  eighty-six  years,  one  month  and  four 
days.  • 

The  children  of  these  parents  were, 

1.  William  Martin,  born  December  5,  1782,  a  man  of 
excellent  moral  character,  and  a  highly  esteemed  physi 
cian,  who  for  several  years  practiced  in  this  town.     His 
residence  was   on  the  South  road,   some  half  or  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  East  of  his  father's.     He  married  Hul- 
dah  Kidder,  of  West  Fairlee  ;  and  died  October  22,  1841, 
in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  leaving  her  with  four 
children.     Both  the  Doctor  and  hfs  wife  were  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  in  this  place. 

2.  Daniel  Martin,  born  November  6, 1784  ;  he  remain 
ed  through  life  a  worthy  citizen  of  Bradford,  and  died 
March  7,  1870,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age.      I 
give  here  some  extracts  from  an  obituary  notice,  which  I 
prepared  for  publication  soon  after  his  decease. 

Daniel  Martin,  Esq.,  married  Sophia  Tyler,  a  worthy 
woman  of  Randolph,  Vt.;  with  whom  he  lived  happily  for 


160 

a  little  over  fifty-six  years,  and  who  bore  to  him  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  departed  from  this  life  Jan 
uary  17,  1870,  only  eight  Aveeks  before  his  own  decease. 
These  parents,  thus  united  in  life  and  in  death,  left  but 
one  surviving  child,  their  daughter  Britana,  now  Mrs. 
Samuel  T.  Shaw ;  and  one  grand-daughter,  by  an  older 
sister  of  Mrs.  ShaAv,  who  married  Micah  Norcross,  Esq. 
This  grand- daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Frescott 
Davis.  To  these  two  ladies  Esquire  Martin  is  understood 
to  have  bequeathed  his  property,  to  their  entire  satisfac 
tion.  He  was  a  man  of  correct  habits,  who  wished  to 
have  all  matters  of  business  rightly  transacted  and  settled. 

On  this  account,  and  in  view  of  his  well-known  integ 
rity  and  capability,  he  was  called  by  his  fellow-townsmen 
to  the  performance  of  various  official  trusts  and  duties. 
For  some  years  he  officiated  as  one  of  the  town  listers, 
overseer  of  the  poor,  arid  justice  of  the  peace,  if  not  in 
other  offices.  As  justice  of  the  peace  he  is  said  to  have 
been  chosen  for  twenty-four  years  in  regular  succession, 
and  then,  after  a  short  vacation,  for  several  years  more. 
Esquire  Martin  probably  knew  more,  from  personal  ac 
quaintance,  respecting  the  early  inhabitants  of  this  town, 
and  of  its  by- gone  events  and  transactions^  than  any  per 
son  now  living ;  and  it  is  to  be  lamented  that  he  did  not 
leave,  as  he  had  been  earnestly  requested,  a  written 
statement  of  his  vivid  and  interesting  recollections. 

One  singular  incident  he  once  related  to  the  writer  of 
this  notice.  He  said,  on  a  certain  occasion  in  the  early 
settlement  of  this  town,  about  forty  horses  were  sent  late 
in  autumn  from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  turned  loose  into 
the  meadows  along  on  the  Connecticut  River  to  browse  on 
the  wild  grass  and  on  bushes  through  the  winter,  and  take 
care  of  themselves  as  they  would ;  and  that  in  the  spring 
they  were  taken  out  in  good  condition  !  Such  a  saving 
of  hay  and  oats  and  care,  on  the  part  of  horse  keepers  is 
not,  however,  likely  to  be  again  attempted. 


161 

Esquire  Martin's  farm  joined  on  the  East  that  of  his  fa 
ther  ;  where,  devoted  chiefly  to  agricultural  pursuits,  in 
the  practice  of  industry,  frugality  and  strict  temperance, 
and  in  pleasant  intercourse  with  his  neighbors,  he  passed 
his  somewhat  protracted  life  in  quietude  and  comfort. 
He  did  not  seem  to  grow  old  as  many  do,  but  retained 
the  various  capacities  and  powers,  both  mental  and  cor 
poreal,  of  mature  manhood  remarkably.  When  over 
eighty  years  of  age,  he  was  in  conversation  still  social  and 
cheerful,  and  in  his  movements  erect  and  sprightly.  A 
neighbor  relates  that  on  a  certain  occasion  he  saw  him. 
when  thus  advanced  in  years,  catch  his  horse,  which  had 
strayed  a  little  away,  put  on  its  bridle,  and  from  the  mid 
dle  of  the  road  spring  on  to  its  back  and  ride  off,  as  if  he 
had  been  in  the  vigor  of  youth. 

He  never  made  any  public  profession  of  religion,  but 
Avas  strictly  moral,  and  is  understood  to  have  expressed  a 
hope  that  in  early  life  he  had  found  his  Saviour  to  be  pre 
cious;  and  when,  in  old  age,  stricken  down  by  paralysis, 
but  still  blessed  with  the  full  exercise  of  mental  po \vi-rs, 
he  died  peacefully,  hoping  for  salvation  through  Him 
alone. 

Very  few  of  our  inhabitants  of  an  age  so  great  as  was 
that  of  this  venerable  man  are  now  left.  All  will  soon  be 
gone.  May  they,  without  exception,  have  their  lamps 
trimmed  and  burning,  ever  ready  for  the  coming  of  their 
Lord,  however  suddenly  that  momentous  event  may  oc 
cur. 

"  The  fathers,  where  are  they?  What  man  is  he  that 
liveth  and  shall  not  see  death  !  " 

3.  Anna,  eldest  daughter  of  Dea.  Reuben  Martin,  born 
October  23,  1786,  died  a  worthy  maiden. 

4.  Hannah,  born  February  15,  1789,  became  the  sec 
ond  wife  of  Jeremiah  Corliss,  of  Bradford,  had  two  daugh 
ters  and  one  son,  and  died  November,  1867,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years  and  nine  months.     See  the  Corliss  family. 


162 

5.  Sarah,   born    December    11,    1791;    married  John 
Crandall,  of  Lancaster,  N.  N.,  and  removed  West. 

6.  Rebecca,  born   December  19,1793;    married  Wil 
liam  Mitchell,  of'Walpole,  N.  H.,arid  died  there,  leaving  a 
large  family. 

7.  Abigail,  born  August  1,  1795  ;  married  David  Nor- 
cross,  of  Bradford.     Had  one  son  and  two  daughters. 

8.  Lydia,  born  December  4,   1796;    married  Samuel 
Merrill,  of  this  town.     Had  two  children. 

9.  Patience,  born  April  30, 1798  ;  married  Orrin  Tyler, 
of  Randolph.     Had  four  children. 

10.  Moses  Hazen,  born  March  16, 1800  :  married  Han 
nah  Huntoon,  of  Hanover,  X.  H. 

11.  Reuben,  born  May  12,  1804. 

THE   CLARK    FAMILY. 

Joseph  Clark  and  wile  were  among  the  early  inhabi 
tants  of  Bradford,  and  raised  up  here  a  large  and  influen 
tial  family.  They  lived  on  the  Lower  Plain,  about  one 
mile  and  a  quarter  South  of  the  central  part  of  the  vil 
lage.  The  comfortable  cottage  which  they  long  occupied, 
now  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the  town,  is  still  there  in 
a  respectable  condition  :  but  the  entire  family  of  its  origi 
nal  occupants  have  passed  forever  away.  For  about  a 
year  and  a  half  of  my  early  ministry  here  having  no  home 
of  my  own,  I  boarded  with  this  family;  and  my  study 
was  a  little  chamber  in  that  cottage,  the  look-out  from 
which  was  towards  the  polar  star.  There  I  spent  many 
days,  long  evenings,  and  some  whole  nights,  in  laborious 
and  prayerful  efforts  to  prepare  for  my  public  services  in 
the  best  manner  F  possibly  could  :  and  that  under  an  op 
pressive  sense  of  my  insufficiency  for  those  things.  Par 
don  this  personal  reminiscence  :*  the  mention  of  the  old 
cottage  brought  back  so  vividly  that  early  experience,  as  a 
look  up  to  those  old  windows  when  passing  by  always  does. 


163 

Deacon  Clark  and  wife  were  members  both  of  the  first 
Congregational  church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev. 
Gardner  Kellogg,  and  also  of  the  present  church  of  the 
same  denomination,  which  after  the  dissolution  of  the  first 
was  duly  organized  on  a  more  decidedly  orthodox  plat 
form,  in  the  year  1810.  He  was  generally  styled  Deacon, 
though  never  regularly  so  constituted,  probably  because 
he  took  an  active  part  in  religious  matters,  and  for  a  time 
officiated  at  communion  seasons.  He  died  in  December, 
1835,  aged  eighty-four  years.  His  wife,  Sarah  Mussey 
Clark,  died  March  18,  1833,  aged  seventy-four  years. 
She  was  a  sister  of  Esquire  Mussey,  of  Corinth,  who  was 
father  of  the  late  Moses  Mussey,  of  Bradford.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark  had  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of  the 
sons  died  in  childhood.  Of  those  who  lived  to  be  men 
and  women  the  following  imperfect  account  is  all  that  the 
writer  is  able  at  present  to  give,  no  individual  being  left 
of  whom  to  inquire. 

1.  Moody  Clark,  born  August  31, 1776  ;  married  Susan 
Richards,  March  20,  1797.  Mr.  Clark  was  an  honest,  in 
dustrious  man,  and  spent  the  remnant  of  his  days  at  Brad 
ford.  He  died  February  9,  1843,  in  the  sixty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Clark,  his  wife,  died  May  31,  1850, 
in  her  seventy -first  year.  They  had  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

Charles  B.  Clark,  born  November  26,  1798;  a  teacher 
of  vocal  music  ;  married  Augusta  Cady,  ol  Bradford,  and 
died  at  Middletown,  Conn. 

Orliri,  born  June  2,  1801 ;  married  Orill  Cady,  sister  of 
Augusta,  and  died  at  Killingly,  Conn. 

Wealthy,  born  June  24,  1803  :  married  Edwin  Fuller, 
of  Vershire,  and  died  at  Fairlee,  April  30,  1854.  Deacoii 
Fuller  and  wife  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  name 
ly  :  Susan,  Joseph,  Dan,  Albert  and  Hannah  Maria. 

Franklin,  born  June  18,  1805  :  married  a  Miss  Bond,  of 
Corinth. 


164 

Cynthia,  born  March  13,  1808  ;  married  Samuel  Bern  its, 
of  Lyndon,  Vt. 

Gardner,  born  August  21,  1812  ;  became  a  preacher  of 
the  gospel,  of  the  Methodist  order. 

Thomas  Russell,  born  April  8,  1816;  died  September 
20,  1856. 

Joseph,  bom  November  19,  1819  ;  died  July  8,  1839. 

Thaddeus  Fairbanks,  born  July  5,  1822. 

2.  Labaii  Clark,  second  son  of  Deacon  Joseph  Clark, 
above  mentioned,  and  brother  of  Moody,  was  born  July 
19,  1778,  became  a  Methodist  minister  of  high  esteem; 
was  stationed  for  a  time  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  at 
other  times  in  different  places  of  special  importance,  arid 
was  for  several  of  the  last  years  of  his  life  employed  as 
financial  agent  of  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown, 
Conn.,  where  he  died  in  1868,  at  about  ninety  years  of  age. 

3.  Joseph  Clark,  Jr.,  born  September  6,  1780,  was  by 
occupation  both  a  farmer  and  a  mason,  or  brick  layer. 
He  was  also  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  order,  and 
a  truly  Christian  man.     He  remained  on  the  old  farm,  in 
a  house  a  few  rods  South  of  his  father's,  and  did  much  in 
the    way   of   nourishing   and    cherishing   the    Methodist 
cl lurch  here  in  the  days  of  its  infantile  feebleness.     He 
used  to  hold  meetings  with  them,  in  the  school  house  on 
the  Lower  Plain,  where  the  members  chiefly  resided,  and 
lived  to  see  them  with  a  good  congregation  worshiping 
in  one  and  then  another  more  commodious  meeting-house 
of  their  own.     He  was  called  away  to  his  final  rest  Feb 
ruary  22,  1849,  in  the   sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age.     He 
had  been  twice   married.     His  first  wife,  Fanny  Aspin- 
wall,  died  June  2,  1826,  at  the  age  of  forty-four.     His 
second  wife,  Susan  Bond,  of  Corinth,  died  April  7,  1847, 
at  the  age  of  sixty  years.     Both  truly  good  women.     No 
children.     They  had  adopted  a  Miss  Bond,  neice  of  the 
second  wife.      She  married  Rev.  Mr.  Fisk,  a  Methodist 
minister. 


165 

4.  Edward  Clark,  born  July  6,  1784  ;  removed  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  married,  and  spent  the  remainder  oi 
his  days  there. 

o.  Hannah  Clark,  born  February  6, 1787,  was  a  worthy 
woman,  a  member  of  the  same  church  with  her  parents, 
and  when  quite  advanced  in  years  became  the  -second 
wife  of  David  Morrison,  of  Fairlee,  whose  first  wife  was 
her  sister. 

(>.  Sallv  Clark,  born  July  9,  1789,  married  David  Mor 
rison,  of  Fairlee.  They  lived  near  the  North  end  of  Fair- 
lee  Pond.  She  was  an  estimable  woman,  and  died  leav 
ing  three  sons. 

7.  Samuel  Clark,  born  July  30,  1791.  Lived  at  Brad 
ford  a  while,  then  removed  to  the  interior  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  died  there.  Xo  account  of  his  family. 
Ho  was  twice  married. 

S.  Betsey  Clark,  born  April  10,  1794;  when  mature 
in  years  was  still,  in  person  and  intellect  and  lack  of 
speech,  but  a  child  of  large  size,  but  very  quiet;  and  al 
ways  treated  by  the  family  with  distinguished  kindness. 
She  died  in  the  quietude  of  home. 

9.  Gardner  Kellogg  Clark,  born  February  28,  1796, 
was  a  young  man  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  good 
talents.  He  had  a  taste  for  learning,  made  strenuous  ef 
forts  to  obtain  a  liberal  education,  and  graduated  at  Union 
College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Having  iii  the  meanwhile 
become  hopefully  pious,  he  studied  for  the  gospel  minis 
try,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  a  Presbyte 
rian  church  at  Preble,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  an  able  and  faithful  worker,  and  as  such  highly  es 
teemed.  He  married  and  had  a  family ;  but  we  are  un 
able  to  give  any  definite  information  in  regard  to  his 
children.  He  spent  some  of  the  last  years  of  his  life,  we 
believe,  in  the  service  of  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society  ;  and  died  at  Saratoga,  Minnesota,  March  19,  1870, 
at  the  age  of  severity-four  years  and  nineteen  days. 


166 

REV.    MARTIN   RUTER,   D.  D. 

Of  this  gentleman,  or  even  of  his  family  name,  the  pres 
ent  inhabitants  of  Bradford  are  supposed  to  know  but 
little  or  nothing.  Still  there  are  good  reasons  why  he 
should  be  remembered  with  honor  among  the  most  distin 
guished  of  our  early  inhabitants.  The  family  name  in  the 
days  of  his  father,  was  pronounced  with  the  middle  letter 
joined  to  the  first  syllable,  giving  the  u  its  short  sound, 
as  if  written  Rutter ;  but  when  Martin  had  become  a  man 
of  distinction  he  is  understood  to  have  been  styled  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Ru-ter,  thus  giving  the  u  its  long  sound,  and 
joining  the  t  to  the  last  syllable.  The  writer  of  this  article 
was  accustomed,  in  early  life,  to  hear  the  name  pronounced 
only  in  the  way  first  mentioned.  But  call  it  which  way 
you  will,  Martin  was  an  admirable  man. 

Do  you  ask  in  what  way  was  he  related  to  Bradford  ? 
According  to  information  which  I  consider  reliable,  he 
was  born  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  in  April,  1785,  and  in  1793,  at 
the  age  of  eight  years,  came  with  his  parents  to  reside  in 
Bradford.  His  father,  Job  Ruter,  was  an  honest,  hard 
working  man,  by  occupation  a  blacksmith.  He  for  a 
while  resided  in  the  South-east  corner  of  the  town,  on  a 
farm  now  owned  by  Elijah  Smalley  ;  but  subsequently  re 
moved  to  the  Western  border  of  the  town,  and  when  I 
first  knew  him  and  his  family  he  was  there  living,  on  the 
old  South  road,  the  last  house  in  this  town,  next  to  Cor 
inth.  My  father  had  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  about  a 
mile  further  on,  in  the  Eastern  border  of  Corinth.  And 
the  first  religious  meeting  that  I  have  any  recollection  of 
ever  attending  was  at  the  house  of  this  Mr.  Ruter,  and 
the  preacher,  I  am  pretty  sure,  was  called  "  Brother  Wil- 
liston,"  one  of  the  first  Methodist  ministers  who  had 
preached  in  that  neighborhood.  Job  Ruter  and  wife  had 
been  members  of  a  Baptist  church,  but  they  had  then  be 
come  very  devoted  Methodists,  and  opened  their  humble 


167 

dwelling  to  the  cordial  reception  of  the  itinerant  preach 
ers,  and  to  the  holding  of  religious  meetings.     Within  a 
few  years  after  this,  the  Ruter  family  removed  to  Corinth, 
and  lived  about  one  mile  West  of  my  father's  place,  and 
within  the  same  school  district :  so  that  Martin,  though 
some  six  years  my  senior,  attended  for  a  while  the  same 
schools  with  myself.     T  remember  him  and  his  brothers, 
John  and  Absalom,  and  sister  Pallas,  quite  well.     He  was 
a  youth  full  of  life  and  agility,  of  tine  personal  appearance, 
very  pleasant  in  his  manners,  and  quite  ambitious  to  be 
esteemed,   as   he   was?   a  good   scholar.     There  were    in 
those  days  many  religious  meetings  held  at  his  father's 
house,  much  interest  was  awakened,  and  numbers  hope 
fully  converted,  among  whom  was  this  interesting  young 
man.     In  the  Summer  of  1799,  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  his 
age,  he  was  divinely  moved  to  consecrate  himself  to  the 
service   of  the   blessed  Redeemer,  and  from  the  first  his 
desire  was  to  become  a  faithful  preacher  of  the  Gospel. 
He  at  once  engaged  in  religious  exercises,  praying,  exhort 
ing,  and  striving  to  do  good  to  all,  as  he  had  opportunity. 
His  store  of  learning  at  that  time  was  very  small ;  but  his 
desire   and  ability  to  improve,  his  natural  gift  for  public- 
speaking,   his   amiable  character,  and  zeal  in  the   good 
cause,  were  all  so  manifest  that  his  Christian  friends,  and 
especially  the  ministers  of  his  denomination  who  knew 
him,  encouraged  him  to  press  on.     It  was  arranged  that, 
voung  as  he  was,  he  should  directly  enter  into  the  pre 
paratory  work,  by  traveling  as  a  student  and  assistant  with 
one  or  more  of  the  circuit  preachers,  and  so  continue  un 
til  prepared  to  take  a  more  prominent  position.     He  might 
then  have  been  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  became  as  wise,  or  wiser,  than 
his  teachers,  and  had  a  charge  of  his  own  assigned  him. 
One  of  his  first  locations  was  the  city  of  Montreal,  which 
afforded  him  a  fine  opportunity  to  make  himself  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  French  language.     On  his  return  to 


168 

New  England  he  went  on,  not  only  preaching,  but  avail 
ing  himself  of  all  opportunities  and  means  of  acquiring 
useful  knowledge.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  went 
to  Ohio,  and  by  that  time  he  had  become  so  much  of  a 
linguist  that  in  1824  he  published  at  Cincinnati  a  Hebrew 
Grammar,  "  compiled  for  the  use  and  encouragement  of 
learners,  adapted  to  such  as  have  not  the  aid  of  a  teach 
er,"  arid  dedicated  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
In  the  introduction  to  this  work  he  earnestly  recommends 
to  their  preachers  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with, 
not  only  the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  but  especially 
with  the  Hebrew  of  the  Old.  "  Every  argument  for  the 
Greek  original,"  he  says,  "  cannot  fail  to  apply  forcibly  in 
favor  of  the  Hebrew  also  ;  a  language  possessing  a  higher 
claim  to  antiquity  than  any  other,  arid  so  remarkable  for 
its  simplicity  and  excellence  that  no  translation  can  do  it 
justice."  While  writing  this  I  have  that  little  work  on 
my  table  before  me,  which,  if  not  very  complete,  is  cer 
tainly  very  creditable  to  its  author,  considering  the  many 
and  great  disadvantages  through  which  he  had  to  make 
his  way,  in  the  acquisition  of  useful  learning. 

From  what  college  this  distinguished  minister  and 
scholar  received  his  Doctorate  we  are  not  informed ;  but 
we  are  gratified  to  be  able  to  say  that  his  talents,  attain 
ments,  and  excellent  character  were  highly  appreciated, 
not  only  by  his  own  denomination,  but  by  the  public  gen 
erally.  In  the  report  of  the  Vermont  Methodist  State 
Convention  for  1870,  it  is  noted  that  Rev.  Dr.  Martin  Ru- 
ter  was  President  of  Augusta  College,  Kentucky,  and  of 
Alleghaiiy  College,  Pennsylvania,  and  that,  having  re 
signed  this  last  position,  he  went  as  a  missionary  to  Texas, 
where  he  died  May  16,  1838.  Thus  ended  a  life  of  use 
ful,  honorable,  and  extensive  public  labors,  commenced 
here  among  ourselves. 

This  brief  memorial  of  one  of  our  own  Bradford  boys, 
\vht)  through  life  pursued  a  course  so  highly  comrnenda- 


169 

ble,  I  have  inserted  here,  with  earnest  desire  and  hope  that 
other  boys  and  young  men  might  be  incited  to  emulate 
his  excellent  example. 

0,  what  a  contrast  between  such  a  youth  as  he  and  the 
boy  who  has  no  decided  love  for  useful  learning ;  no  re 
spect  for  good  morals  or  manners ;  no  fear  of  God,  or  care 
to  secure  His  favor ;  but  who  indulges  in  idleness,  and 
rudeness,  and  pilfering,  it  may  be ;  in  profane  and  vile 
expressions,  sitting  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful ;  besotting 
himself  with  the  drunkard's  drink ;  or  by  the  filthy  prac 
tice  of  tobacco  chewing  and  smoking,  making  himself, 
even  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  a  weak  arid  worthless 
stinkard ! 

Away  !  away  !  with  all  such  vile  practices.  Determine 
to  make  the  best  possible  use  of  your  time  and  talents, 
and  to  set  an  example  alike  honorable  to  yourselves,  and ' 
beneficial  to  others.  If  placed  in  humble  and  trying  cir 
cumstances,  be  not  disheartened.  Like  young  Martin  Ru- 
ter,  early  dedicate  yourself  to  the  service  of  the  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords :  make  it  your  persevering  en 
deavor  to  accumulate  useful  knowledge,  and  do  good  to 
the  extent  of  your  ability  ;  then  through  the  Divine  bless 
ing,  your  course  through  life  will  be  honorable  and  useful, 
like  his  ;  and  its  termination  in  celestial  blessedness  most 
sure. 

FIFIELD    BOY— LOST   AND    FOUND. 

For  several  years  there  lived  in  the  wilderness  South 
of  Wait's  River,  in  the  Western  border  of  this  town,  a 
poor,  hard-working  man  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Fifield, 
with  his  family.  On  one  Saturday  of  April,  1800,  An 
drew  Fifield,  a  little  son  belonging  to  this  family,  strayed 
away,  and  when  night  came,  to  the  great  consternation  of 
his  parents,  was  not  to  be  found.  He  was  at  the  time  but 
thinly  clad,  having  on  only  his  little  tow  shirt,  or  frock, 
as  it  might  perhaps  better  be  called.  Great  fears  were 
12 


170 

entertained  that  he  might  perish,  by  the  chilliness  of  the 
night,  by  falling  into  the  river,  or  by  ravenous  beasts  of 
prey.  But  all  the  efforts  of  the  family,  and  of  the  few 
friends  whom  they  could  that  night  call  to  their  aid,  to 
find  him,  were  unavailing.  The  next  day,  being  the  Sab 
bath,  there  was  a  general  gathering  of  the  people  within 
a  compass  of  several  miles,  anxiously  engaged  in  the 
search. 

It  was  taken  for  granted  that  the  lost  boy  must  be  on 
the  South  side  of  the  river ;  but  by  the  most  dilligent 
search  he  could  nowhere  in  that  section  of  the  forest  be 
found.  He  could  not  have  waded  through  the  rapid 
stream.  Was  it  possible  that  he  had  passed  over  on  a 
fallen  tree  which  in  one  place  was  discovered  lying  across  ? 
An  extensive  and  thorough  search  was  made  through  the 
desert  on  the  North  side  of  the  river,  the  side  opposite 
to  Fifieid's  residence.  The  day  was  becoming  lar  spent ; 
the  hearts  of  the  people  were  sinking  in  discouragement ; 
when,  by  some  one,  the  little  fellow  was  discovered  among 
the  bushes  and  rocks,  alive  and  unharmed.  Then  the  joy 
ful  cry,  Found !  Found !  All's  well !  resounded  through 
the  wilderness,  filling  the  hearts  of  the  multitude,  and 
especially  of  the  distressed  parents,  with  gladness  and 
gratitude  the  most  exquisite. 

The  boy  was  found  near  the  Western  boundary  "of 
/Bradford,  not  far  from  where  Mr.  John  Sanborn  and  fami 
ly  have  now,  1873,  long  lived.  He  had  strayed  perhaps 
some  mile  and  a  half  or  two  miles  from  his  home.  I  was 
myself  a  boy  then,  but  remember  seeing  a  host  of  people 
passing  by  our  family  residence,  on  the  Eastern  border  of 
Corinth,  as  they  were  returning  from  the  search,  and  one 
man  proudly  bearing  the  little  Andrew  in  his  arms,  or  on 
his  shoulder,  not  only  in  kindness  to  him,  but  in  demon 
stration  of  their  joyful  success.  They  came  around  that 
way  to  pass  over  the  bridge  near  my  father's  mills,  and 
to  return  the  boy  to  his  home  on  the  South  side  of  the 


171 

river,  a  mile  or  two  below.  My  impression  is,  that  the 
weather  was  then  comfortably  warm,  and  the  ground  dry, 
though  I  have  been  told,  by  one  who  might  well  be  sup 
posed  to  know,  that  it  was  in_the  month  of  April,  proba 
bly  near  its  close.  1  refer  to  the  late  Nicholas  W.  Ayer. 
I  have  been  informed  by  another  worthy  man,  Daniel 
Martin,  Esq.,  now  deceased,  that  during  the  search  one 
of  the  young  fellows  engaged  in  it,  Benjamin  Hinkson, 
picked  up  a  stray  lamb,  which  had  fallen  into  the  river, 
and  was  vainly  struggling  to  get  out,  and  gave  the  same 
to  the  boy  for  his  own,  in  memory  of  the  momentous  occa 
sion.  This  lamb  Andrew  very  fondly  cared  for,  and  highly 
prized,  until  grown  up ;  when,  like  himself,  it  strayed  into 
the  woods  and  met  with  a  worse  fate,  being  killed  and 
devoured  by  an  ugly  bear ! 

This  version  of  the  story  of  the  lost  boy  differs  in  va 
rious  respects  from  that  given  of  the  same  affair  in  the 
History  of  the  Coos  Country  ;  but  is  as  correct  as  I  have 
been  able  to  give  from  my  own  recollection,  and  from  in 
formation  gathered  from  aged  people,  then  young,  and 
personally  acquainted  with  the  Pitields,  and  with  the  va 
rious  and  exciting  transactions  involved  in  the  loss  and 
restoration  of  their  son. 


172 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Doctor   Bildad  Andross — Colonel  John    Barron — General    Micah 
Barren— Captain  William' Trotter— and  their  Families. 

THE   ANDROSS   FAMILY. 

Dr.  Bildad  Andross,  one  of  the  earliest  practicing  phy 
sicians  in  this  place,  was  here  as  early  as  1777,  when, 
May  29th,  the  town  voted  to  send  him  and  Benjamin 
Baldwin  to  Windsor,  to  take  measures  for  the  organiza 
tion  of  a  new  State.  His  wife,  Mary  S.,  was  an  aunt  of 
Dr.  Arad  Stebbins,  who  succeeded  Andross  in  medical 
practice  here. 

Dr.  Andross  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Congrega 
tional  church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Gardner 
Kellogg,  and  held  in  high  estimation.  Their  residence 
was  on  the  Lower  Plain,  North  of  the  road  which  now 
leads  to  Pierinont  bridge,  and  near  Connecticut  River. 
They  had  four  daughters  and  two  sons,  namely : 

1.  Naomi  Andross,  who  married  Edward  Sawyer,  of 
Piermont,  N.  H.     Joseph  Sawyer,  Esq.,  a  man  of  honor 
able  distinction  in  that  place,  was  one  of  their  sons. 

2.  Lucy  Andross  married  Colonel  Webb,  of  Lunenburg, 
Vt.,  and  settled  there. 

3.  Cynthia  Andross  married  Thomas  Richards,  of  Pier 
mont,  N.  H. 

4.  Mary  Andross  married  Seth  Ford,  also  of  Piermont. 
They  removed  to  Fairfax,  Vt.,  where  he  died  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  when   she  returned,  with  her  children,  to 
Bradford,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  her  days.     She 
died  March  15,  1813,  of"  spotted  fever,"  a  malignant  dis 
ease  fearfully  prevalent  and  mortal  in  this  town  at  that 
time.     During  the  same  month  in  which  she  died,  and 
within  a  few  days  of  each  other,  the  following  named  per 
sons,  near  relatives  to  her,  were  swept  away  :    Mrs.  Abi- 


173 

gail  Cheney,  daughter  of  Colonel  John  Barron,  died  March 
the  9th,  and  her  husband  March  the  10th,  and  were  both 
buried  in  the  same  grave.  Mrs.  Ford,  as  has  been  said, 
on  the  1 5th,  a  child  of  hers  on  the  same  day  ;  also,  Colonel 
John  Barron,  and  his  son-in-law,  Captain  John  Andross, 
within  a  few  hours  of  each  other.  For  the  four  last 
named  there  was  one  and  the  same  funeral  service,  at  the 
time  of  their  burial. 

5.  Levi  Stebbins  Andross,  eldest  son  of  the  Doctor, 
married  Prudence  SpafFord,  of  Fairfax,  Vt.  They  remained 
in  Bradford,  and  had  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  name- 

ly: 

Prudence  S.,  their  eldest  daughter,  married  Clement 
Chase,  of  Cornish,  N.  H.,  a  relative  of  Chief  Justice  Chase. 
They  had  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Naomi,  the  next  daughter,  married  William  Barker,  of 
Bradford,  a  harness  -maker,  and  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

And  Mary  Andross  married  David  Tilton,  also  of  this 
town. 

Bradstreet  Andross,  son  of  Levi  S.,  remained  in  Brad 
ford,  and  married  Mary  Kimball,  of  the  same  place.  In 
his  early  manhood  he  was  for  several  years,  in  the  sum 
mer  seasons,  occupied  in  rafting  lumber  down  the  Con- 
necticut  River.  One  day,  towards  evening,  the  company, 
having  made  fast  their  raft  of  lumber  to  the  shore  at 
Greenfield,  Mass.,  had  just  left  it  to  go  to  their  accustomed 
house  of  entertainment  for  the  night,  when  they  heard  a 
heavy  splash  in  the  water.  "  What  is  that  ?  "  says  one  ; 
but  all  kept  along.  "  I  will  see,"  says  Andross ;  and,  run 
ning  quickly  back  to  the  raft,  he  saw  a  boy  helplessly 
sinking  in  the  deep  water.  He  instantly  plunged  in  after 
him,  arid,  being  a  strong  swimmer,  seized  him  as  he  rose 
and  rescued  him  from  death.  The  parents  of  the  boy  and 
himself  were  deeply  affected  by  this  noble  deed,  and  dur 
ing  life  never  ceased  to  remember  it  with  fervent  grati- 


174 

tude.  That  boy,  now  a  gentleman  resident  in  New  York, 
has  repeatedly  visited  the  family  of  Mr.  Andross,  even 
since  his  decease,  in  grateful  remembrance  of  his  saving 
him  when  in  such  peril ;  arid  on  one  of  those  occasions 
presented  to  Mrs.  Andross  a  splendid  goblet,  of  solid  sil 
ver,  lined  with  gold,  bearing  the  inscription,  "  A  tribute 
of  gratitude  from  John  Munn,  rescued  from  drowning  by 
Bradstreet  Andross,  A.  D.  1816." 

Mr.  B.  Andross  and  wife  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and 
three  daughters,  all  natives  of  Bradford,  namely  : 

1.  Stebbins  Andross,  born  October  1,  1813  ;  married 
Keziah  Libbey,  of  Maine.     They  had  three  sons,  Leonard, 
Charles  and  William;    and  two  daughters.      Adaline,  a 
very  estimable   and  capable  young  lady,  perished  in  the 
flames  at  the  burning  of  Charlestown  depot,  near  Boston, 
being  unable  to  escape  from  an  upper  room  where  she 
had  an  office  as  book-keeper.     Her  sister  Ellen  married 
Rev.  Mr.  LeBarron,  a  Methodist  minister,  and  went  with 
him  into  the  State  of  New  York.      Mr.  B.  Andross  for 
several  years  had  charge  of  the  Railroad  depot  at  Brad 
ford,  but  finally  removed  to  New  York. 

2.  Harriet   K.   Andross,  born   September   24,   1816; 
married  John  K.  Horner,  of  Fairlee,  and  had  two  daugh 
ters,  one  of  whom,  Mary  Helen,  married  Edgar  Rowell,  of 
Bradford.     Her  sister  Harriet  has  long  been  a  member 
of  the  family  of  Esq.  Preston,  of  Bradford.     The  parents 
have  both  deceased. 

3.  Charles  L.  Andross,  born  August  4,  1818,  married 
Harriet  Clark,  daughter  of  Samuel  Clark,  formerly  of  this 
town.     He  lost  an  arm  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a 
cannon,  while  celebrating  the  4th  of  July. 

4.  Mary  S.,  born  September  14, 1820  ;  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two. 

5.  Dudley  K.  Andross,  born  September  12, 1823,  gen 
erally  styled  Colonel  Andross,   having   passed   through 
many  perils,  is  still  at  this  writing  a  well-known  resident 


175 

of  Bradford.  With  permission,  the  following  incidents  of 
his  life  are  given :  He  was  the  first  man  from  this  town 
to  visit  California,  where  he  labored  for  two.  years,  in  the 
gold  mines,  "  with  pretty  good  success." 

When,  in  April,  1861,  our  company  of  Bradford  Guards 
volunteered  for  three  months  into  the  service  of  our  Gov 
ernment,  for  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  D.  K.  An- 
dross  was  their  chosen  Captain.  They  were  stationed 
for  a  short  while  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  and  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Big  Bethel,  June  the  10th,  in  which  the 
Union  force  was  repulsed.  At  the  expiration  of  their 
term  of  service  this  company  were  honorably  discharged. 
Captain  Andross  enlisted  again,  this  time  into  the  9th 
Vermont  Regiment,  under  command  of  Colonel  Stannard, 
in  which  he  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
This  regiment  was  stationed  for  a  time  at  Washington ; 
then  sent  to  Winchester,  Va.,  and  were  occupied  in  build 
ing  fortifications  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  till  ordered 
to  fall  back  on  Harper's  Ferry,  where  they  were  engaged 
in  the  unfortunate  battle  of  September  15, 1862,  in  which 
the  Union  forces  were  overpowered,  and  11,500  men  were 
taken  prisoners.  These  prisoners  were  sent  first  to  An 
napolis,  Md.,  but  finally,  on  parole,  to  Chicago,  where,  by 
Federal  authority,  they  were  set  to  guard  3,500  Rebel 
prisoners  waiting  there,  like  themselves,  for  an  amicable 
exchange.  While  thus  occupied  at  Chicago,  our  friend 
Andross  was  for  his-  soldierly  conduct  honored  with  the 
commission  of  Colonel,  and  so  continued  during  his  ser 
vice  in  the  war.  In  April,  1863,  he  and  his  fellow  prison 
ers  were  duly  exchanged,  and  permitted  to  engage  anew 
in  active  warfare ;  when  he  was  ordered  again  into  Vir 
ginia,  to  exchange  the  Rebel  prisoners  then  under  his 
charge,  which  was,  after  considerable  delay,  effected,  at 
City  Point,  below  Richmond. 

At  Suffolk,  Va.,  Colonel  Andross  and  his  soldiers  were 
besieged  for  twenty-three  days,  but  were  able  to  make 


176 

good  their  defence.  After  a  patriotic  and  honorable  ser 
vice,  this  time  of  about  two  years,  he  resigned  and  re 
turned  home  ;  since  which  he  has  taken  interest  in  town 
affairs,  and  served  as  one  of  the  selectmen  during  the 
years  1867-8-9. 

6.  E.  Porter  Andross.  a  brother  of  the  Colonel,  born 
December  25,  1825,  married  Sarah  Whitcomb.     They  re 
side  in  Piermont,  N.  H.     Have  several  sons  and  daugh 
ters.     Two  of  the  sons  have  gone  to  California.     Mr.  E.  P. 
Andross  served  in  the  15th  New  Hampshire  Regiment, 
for  nine  months  of  the  late  war,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
Port  Hudson. 

7.  Helen  L.  died  in  her  infancy. 

8.  Moses  C.  Andross,  the  youngest  member  of  this 
family,  born  January   26,  1836,  went  to  California,  and 
was  for  some  time  engaged  there  in  the  business  of  min 
ing.     Being  a  man  of  ability,  moral  integrity,  and  in 
fluence,  he  has  been  much  occupied  in  public  affairs,  hav 
ing  served  as  United  States  Assistant  Assessor  in  that 
State  for  six  years,  and  as  Senator  in  the  State  Legisla 
ture  for  four  years.     He  married  there  a  worthy  Scotch 
lady,  and  has  two  sons. 

Mr.  Bradstreet  Andross  died  at  Bradford,  Nov.  27, 
1838,  in  his  fifty-fourth  year. 

Mr.  Bildad  Andross,  a  brother  of  Bradstreet,  and  son 
of  Levi  S.,  married  Lettice  Glover,  of  Topsham,  and  set 
tled  in  Bradford.  While  turning  over  a  large  flat-bot 
tomed  boat  which  he,  with  others,  was  building,  it  fell  on 
him  and  killed  him.  He  and  his  wife  had  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  only  five  at  this  date 
(1874)  are  known  to  be  living. 

William  Glover  Andross,  the  eldest  son,  by  occupation 
a  farmer,  still  remains  in  Bradford,  with  his  good  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Salome  Baker,  in  their  nice  brick 
cottage,  pleasantly  situated.  Fond  of  reading,  as  well  as 
of  work,  he  has  long  been  occupied  in  seeking  from  his 


177 

books  and  from  his  fields  the  appropriate  fruits  of  both 
intellectual  and  manuel  diligence — a  commendable  course 
for  any  farmer  or  other  laboring  man  to  pursue,  provided 
the  one  thing  needful  be  -not  neglected. 

The  eldest  sister,  Martha,  a  pious  maiden  lady,  has  her 
home  with  this  brother  and  his  wife. 

Elbridge  F.  Andross,  unmarried,  also  resides  in  Brad 
ford. 

Prudence  married  Jason  Horner,  and  is  settled  in  Fair- 
lee. 

George  married  Nancy  Kennedy,  and  lives  in  Wiscon 
sin. 

Two  sons  died  in  childhood. 

Oramel  died  a  young  man. 

Susan  died  unmarried. 

Mary  married  a  Mr.  Scofield,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  died 
there.  She  died  leaving  three  sons. 

Caroline  married  Thomas  Ladd,  of  Corinth,  and  there 
died,  in  1873. 

Captain  John  Andross,  the  second  son  of  Dr.  Bildad 
Andross,  first  married  Mary  Russell,  of  Piermont.  .  They 
had  one  son,  John.  After  the  early  decease  of  his  first 
wife,  Captain  Andross  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Col. 
John  Barren,  he  being  thirty  and  she  fifteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  Their  home  was  on  the 
Lower  Plain.  They  had  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
namely : 

John  Barron  and  DeForrest,  who  died  young. 

3.  Thomas  Russell,  of  whom  more  presently. 

4.  William,  who  married  Susan  Child,  of  Derby,  sister 
of  Daniel  Child,  Esq.,  the  husband  of  Lydia  Maria  Child, 
the  well-known  authoress. 

5.  Mills  married  Eliza  Peabody,  a  cousin  of  George 
Peabody,  so  distinguished  for  financial  success  and  great 
liberality.     He  went  to  New  Orleans,  got  involved  in  the 
troubles  of  Mexico,  under  the  ^dominion  of  Santa  Anna, 


178 

was  taken  prisoner,  and  with  twenty-nine  others  was 
massacred  there,  far  from  home  and  friendsi  His  widow 
married  Noah  Newell,  of  this  town.  They  removed  to 
Janesville,  Wisconsin,  where  they,  reside,  in  pleasant  cir 
cumstances,  blessed  with  a  highly  respectable  family. 

6.  Noble  Andross,  having  done  good  service  for  his 
country  in  the  late  war,  returned   again  to  this  his  native 
place. 

7.  Mehitable,  a   worthy  young   woman,  died  unmar 
ried. 

8.  Mary  R.  married   Mills  O.  Barber,  then  of  Lowell, 
Mass.,  October  16,  1832,  by  occupation  a  harness  maker, 
who  has  for  more  than  forty  years  been  a  much  respected 
citizen  of  Bradford,  and  has  for  several  years  officiate'd  as 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barber  have  been 
for  more  than  thirty  years  highly  esteemed  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  this  place.     They  have 
had  a  family  of  two  sons  arid  four  daughters,  of  whom 
Mary  B.  and  Charles  Henry  died  in   childhood,  and  Mills 
DeForrest  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.     Ellen  Rebecca 
married  Daniel'  W.  Watson,  of  Boston ;  Mary  S.  has  re 
mained  with   her   parents ;  and  Martha  Jane  married  M. 
Schuyler  Smith,  of  Hartford,  Vt. 

3.  Captain  Russell  Andross,  above  named,  married 
Martha  Case,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.  He  had  a  good  farm 
and  pleasant  home  in  Bradford,  in  the  neighborhood  where 
his  parents  had  lived  before  him.  Captain  R.  Andross 
and  wife  were  worthy  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco 
pal  church,  and  citizens  of  good  intluerice.  Their  family 
of  three  daughters  and  two  sons  having  grown  up  and 
gone  away  to  new  homes,  the  parents  disposed  of  their 
place  in  Bradford,  and  removed  to  Lawrence,  Mass.,  where 
(in  1874)  they  are  pleasantly  settled.  Of  their  children 
let  the  following  brief  notices  suffice  : 

The  eldest  daughter,  Martha  Jane,  married  D.  W.  C. 
Farrington.  They  have  one  son,  Willis,  now  a.  young 


179 

man  ;  and  a  very  eligible  home  in  Lowell,  Mass.  Mr.  F. 
was  for  some  time  with  General  Butler  at  New  Orleans, 
during  the  late  war,  in  the  capacity  of  auctioneer.  Since 
his  return  he  has  become  the  first  successful  manufactur 
er  of  Bunting  in  this  country,  and  has  invented  a  pro 
cess,  by  which  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  American  flag 
are  produced  in  a  single  piece,  without  seams,  being  in 
wrought.  He  has  now  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  flags 
made  in  Lowell  waving  over  our  National  Capitol,  instead 
of  those  made  in  England,  as  was  the  case  until  recently. 

Sarah  M.  Andross  married  John  H.  Richards,  a  son  of 
Rev.  John  Richards.  He  having  been  successful  in  busi 
ness,  built  a  nice  brick  house  directly  opposite  to  the 
residence  of  her  parents,  in  Bradford,  where  he  for  some 
time  lived,  but  finally  sold  it  to  John  B.  Peckett,  Esq., 
and  removed  to  Lawrence,  Mass.  They  have  one  son, 
Wm.  R.  Richards. 

Mary  Andross  married  F.  H.  Marshall.  They  have  three 
children. 

George  R.  Andross  married  Emeline  Taplin,  of  Corinth 
Vt.  He  has  a  nice  residence  in  this  village  ;  is  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business,  and  Mrs.  Andross  keeps  a  mil 
liner's  establishment. 

John  Barren,  the  youngest  member  of  this  family,  has 
his  residence  in  Boston,  and  his  business  in  connection 
with  a  mercantile  house  there. 

Captain  John  Andross,  the  grandfather  of  these  child 
ren  of  Captain  T.  R.  Andross,  died,  as  has  already  been 
said,  in  March,  1813.  His  widow,  Rebecca  (Barron)  An 
dross,  united  with  the  Congregational  church  here  in 
1817,  and  lived  thenceforth  in  accordance  with  her  pro 
fession.  In  1820  she  was  married  with  Amos  Fisk,  a 
worthy  man,  of  Middlesex,  Vt.,  who  came  and  made  his 
home  with  her,  here.  On  the  22d  of  March,  1847,  at  the 
age  of  seventy,  she  came  to  the  close  of  her  useful  course 
on  earth,  and  peacefully  passed  away,  by  Divine  grace 


180 

beautifully  sustained  and  comforted.  May  her  children 
emulate  her  virtues,  and  in  due  time  meet  her,  as  she 
hoped  they  would,  where  all  are  holy  and  happy. 

COLONEL  JOHN  BARRON  AND  FAMILY. 

Colonel  John  Barren,  a  native  of  Grafton,  Mass.,  emi 
grated  to  Lyme,  N.  H.,  in  the  early  settlement  of  that 
town.  His  first  wile  was  Abigail  Derb}^  of  Orford,  who 
died  at  Lyme,  leaving  an  infant  daughter.  He  married 
for  his  second  wife  Mehi table  Rogers,  of  Haverhill,  a  sis 
ter  of  the  wife  of  General  Absalom  Peters ;  by  whom  he 
had  a  son  and  daughter  who  died  in  infancy,  and  five 
daughters  who  lived  to  have  families  of  their  own.  Hav 
ing  purchased  at  a  very  cheap  rate  a  valuable  tract  of 
land  in  this  town,  he  came  and  settled  on  the  same,  but  at 
what  time  I  have  not  ascertained.  His  purchase  was  in 
the  South-east  corner  of  the  township,  embracing 
the  beautiful  meadow  in  the  bow  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  at  that  place  ;  also  the  adjacent  island,  and  land 
West,  extending  far  back  among  the  hills.  He  was  living 
on  the  meadow  at  the  time  our  National  Independence 
was  -declared. 

He  subsequently  came  up  to  the  main  road,  if  road  it 
could  then  be  called,  and  lived  in  a  log  house  on  the  East 
side  of  the  same,  near  the  high  bank  of  the  river,  on  what 
is  now  called  the  Waterman  place.  Prospering  in  busi 
ness,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  built  a  house  to 
be  occupied  as  a  tavern,  on  the  opposite  or  West 
side  of  the  road,  where  he  lived  and  prosecuted  the 
business  of  an  inn-keeper  for  a  long  while.  The  house 
was  two  stories  in  front,  one  story  back,  and  painted 
yellow.  It  has  since  been  removed,  and  still  stands 
(1868)  in  the  near  neighborhood,  a  little  South  of  its  old 
location,  on  the  other  side  of  the  highway. 

For  some  years  the  Barron  family,  in  common  with  their 
few  neighbors,  were  much  annoyed  by  fear  of  the  Indi- 


181 

ans  and  Tories.  At  times  they  had  to  hide,  as  well  as 
they  could,  not  only  their  valuables;  but  themselves.  Mrs. 
Barron,  for  safety,  used  to  conceal  her  pewter  dishes  in 
some  sly  place  in  the  sand  bank  of  the  river  close  by.  Col. 
John,  as  he  was  afterward  called,  was  then  Captain  of  a 
scout,  under  command  of  General  Bailey,  of  Newbury.  An 
alarm  on  a  certain  occasion  being  given  that  the  Indians  and 
Tories  were  coming,  he  rallied  his  men,  only  six  in  number, 
and  went  forth,  with  others  from  the  vicinity,  as  far  as  Wil- 
dersburg,  now  Barre,  to  meet  the  enemy  ;  and  lay  there  in 
ambuscade,  waiting  for  them  for  three  days  ;  but  they  did 
not  come.  It  was  said  Jacob  Fowler,  a  hunter,  gave  them 
warning,  so  that  instead  of  pursuing  their  object  to  burn 
Newbury,  thev  turned  further  North,  and  burned  Lancas 
ter,  N.  H. 

On  this  or  a  similar  occasion,  a  Mr.  Young,  of  Pier- 
rnont,  came  and  informed  Mrs.  Barron  that  the  Indians 
were  lurking  around  and  she  had  better  be  on  her  guard. 
She  advised  him  to  go  directly  home,  get  his  gun,  and 
join  the  scout.  This  he  seemed  quite  reluctant  to  do, 
when  the  heroic  woman  said,  with  decision,  "  Well,  Mr. 
Young,  bring  your  gun  to  me,  and  stay  and  take  care  of 
my  children,  and  I  will  join  the  scout." 

Mrs.  Whitelaw,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Barron,  in  addi 
tion  to  the  above,  related  to  me  the  following  anecdotes. 
She  said  the  first  school  she  ever  attended  was  in  her 
father's  barn,  and  taught  by  Mary  Rogers,  who  subse 
quently  married  General  Absalom  Peters ;  and  that  dur 
ing  school  hours  one  day  an  unruly  heifer  broke  into  the 
barn  floor,  among  the  scholars ;  when  their  mistress,  with 
great  energy,  seized  the  little  ones  and  threw  them  over 
into  the  bay,  so  that  no  great  harm  was  done. 

Her  father,  Mrs.  Whitelaw  said,  had  the  first  chaise 
ever  owned  in  this  place,  and  when  she  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  which  was  in  1798,  she  used  to  ride  in  it  to 
a  little  school  which  she  was  teaching  in  a  corner  of  a 


182 

house  which  Deacon  Hardy  subsequent!}7  long  occupied, 
at  the  North  end  of  Bradford  village.  That  house,  with 
a  large  addition  to  it,  is  still  standing.  She  further  said 
that  she  was  the  first  female  who  rode  in  a  chaise  from 
Newbury  Street  to  Ryegate ;  that  she  was  then  in  com 
pany  with  Mr.  afterwards  Judge  Noble,  of  Tinmouth, 
and  that  their  carriage  attracted  as  much  attention  as 
would  an  elephant  passing  along. 

Mrs.  Whitelaw  informed  me  that  her  father  innuenced- 
the  Vermont  Legislature  to  pass  an  act  that  the  "  Squat 
ters,"  as  the  first  settlers  on  the  Hazeri  land,  a  tract  ex 
tending  through  the  West  part  of  this  town,  were  called, 
should  be  quieted  in  their  possession,  by  paying  to  the 
proprietors  two  shillings  on  each  acre  that  they  claimed. 
But  the  proprietor,  disliking  the  low  price,  refused  to  re 
ceive  anything  short  of  hard  money  in  payment ;  which 
he  knew  the  poor  people  had  not,  and  supposed  they  could 
not  obtain.  They  applied  in  their  trouble  to  Colonel  Bar- 
ron,  offering  him  one  half  of  their  land  if  he  would  save 
for  them  the  remainder.  Certain  men  who  were  expected 
to  share  with  Barron  in  this  speculation,  in  almost  the  last 
extremity  failed  him ;  designing,  as  he  suspected,  to  get 
the  entire  profit  to  themselves.  This  roused  him  to  make 
a  strenuous  effort.  He  went  to  Colonel  Freeman,  of 
Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  obtained  from  him  letters  of  rec 
ommendation  to  men  of  means  in  Portsmouth  ;  and  by 
riding  day  and  night,  he  succeeded  in  getting  back  with 
his  specie  in  season  to  accomplish  his  object.  She  said 
she  remembered  well  that  her  father's  saddle  bags  were 
so  heavy  with  hard  money  that,  though  a  grown  girl,  she 
could  not  lift  them  from  the  floor ;  and  that  her  father 
gave  Colonel  Freeman  a  lot  of  land  for  his  kindness  in 
the  affair.  This  lot  is  understood  to  be  the  one  on  which 
Deacon  Colby  afterwards  long  lived. 

Another  incident  worthy  of  remembrance,  is  that  while 
Colonel  Barron  was,   on  a  certain  occasion,  returning,  in 


183 

company  with  other  soldiers  across  this  State,  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  one  of  the  men,  an  Esquire  Button,  of 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  fell  dangerously  sick.  There  was  no 
prospect  that  he  would  ever  be  able  to  go  any  further. 
Barron,  moved  with  compassion,  remained  with  him,  act 
ing  the  part  of  a  faithful  friend,  while  the  rest  of  their 
company  went  on.  When  the  invalid  had  so  far  recover 
ed  that  he  could  with  safety  be  left  in  the  family  of  a 
well  disposed  farmer,  his  friend  came  away.  The  gentle 
man  recovered ;  and  through  life  felt  and  expressed  the 
deepest  sensation  of  gratitude  and  friendship  towards 
the  benefactor  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him  in  a  time  of 
peculiar 'distress.  He  remembered  even  the  place,  which 
was  Cavendish,  with  so  deep  an  interest  that  he  pur 
chased  there  a  farm,  and  made  it  his  residence  during  the 
remnant  of  his  days. 

When  this  town  was  first  settled,  there  was  a  heavy 
growth  of  pine  trees  in  the  eastern  part  of  it,  and  espe 
cially  on  what  is  now  called  the  Lower  Plain.  Many  of 
them  grew  on  the  tract  of  land  owned  by  Col.  Barron ; 
and  I  have  been  informed  by  some  of  the  aged  people 
that,  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  he  and 
Gen.  Morey  entered  into  a  contract  with  three  French 
men,  to  deliver  to  them  in  the  Connecticut  river,  oppo 
site  to  Barren's  house,  one  hundred  masts,  with,  no  doubt, 
a  due  proportion  of  smaller  timber  for  yards  and  booms, 
for  the  royal  navy  of  France,  to  be  floated  down  the  river 
to  Middletown,  where  they  were  to  be  put  on  board  of 
ships,  and  transported  to  that  country.  Pine  trees  were 
then  plenty  and  money  scarce.  Sticks  of  timber  sixty 
feet  long  were  estimated  by  their  average  diameter  at 
the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  an  inch.  According  to  this 
rule  a  mast  sixty  feet  long  and  thirty  inches  in  diameter 
would  come  to  but  seven  dollars  and  a  half.  One  giant 
mast,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  long  and  forty  inches 
in  diameter,  was  thus  delivered.  This  huge  pine  trunk 


184 

at  the  above  rate  would  be  estimated  at  not  quite  twenty 
dollars.  Surely  the  price  of  lumber  has  greatly  changed 
since  that  day. 

These  great  trunks  of  trees  were  brought  by  numer 
ous  men  and  strong  teams  to  the  high  bank  of  the  river 
near  Barren's  residence,  and  on  set  occasions,  of  which 
due  notice  was  given,  there  would  be  a  great  gathering, 
not  only  of  men,  but  ot  women  and  children,  to  witness 
the  log  rolling.  To  see  these  heavy  logs  roll  rapidly 
down  the  steep  declivity  and  dash  into  the  river  throw 
ing  it  into  a  violent  agitation,  was  riot  a  little  exciting. 
But  as  times  of  high  glee  are  apt  to  end  in  some  disaster, 
so  was  it  in  this  case  with  one  of  the  lively  French  con 
tractors,  who  on  returning  home  is  said  to  have  been 
hanged  on  the  yard  arm  of  his  vessel,  for  some  attempt 
to  defraud  the  government,  of  which  lie  had  been  found 
guilty. 

Col.  John  Barron  took  a  very  active  part  in  procuring 
a  charter  of  the  town  of  Bradford,  and  for  four  years  rep 
resented  it  in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  also  a  dele 
gate  with  Esquire  Chamberlin  to  the  Convention  held  at 
Bennington  in  December,  1790,  to  deliberate  on  the 
adoption  of  the  proposed  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  He  took  a  lively  interest-in  promoting  the  pros- 
perit^y  of  this  town,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  a  man 
of  energy  and  influence.  The  Council,  gathered  from 
churches  near  and  remote,  for  the  ordination  of  the  Rev. 
Gardner  Kellogg,  was  convened  and  accommodated  Sept. 
1st  and  2d,  1795,  at  his  house. 

Col.  Barron  died  at  Bradford  on  the  14th  of  March, 
1813,  in  the  69th  year  of  his  age.  "Spotted  Fever"  was 
fearfully  prevailing,  and  on  the  occasion  of  his  funeral 
three  other  corpses  were  carried  into  the  meeting-house 
with  his.  One  was  that  of  Capt.  John  Andross,  who  was 
a  son-in-law  of  Barron,  another  the  corpse  of  Mrs.  Ford, 
a  sister  of  Capt.  Andross,  the  third  a  child  of  a  Mr.  Hoyt. 


185 

The  sermon  on  this  peculiarly  sad  occasion  was  preach 
ed  by  the  Rsv.  David  Sutherland,  of  Bath,  N.  H. 

With  regard  to  the  family  of  Col.  Barren,  I  would  fur 
ther  say  that  his  wife,  Mehitable  Rogers,  died  Oct.  30, 
1803,  aged  49  years;  and  his  daughters  married  respect 
able  msn,  as  follows:  Abigail  married  Eiias  Cheeney. 
She  died  March  9,  1813,  and  he  the  next  day,  and  both 
were  buried  at  the  same  time  in  one  grave.  Rebecca 
married  Capt.  John  Andross,  and  after  his  decease  Amos 
Fisk;  Mehitable  married  Robert  Whitelaw,  Esq.,  of  Rye- 
gate;  Mary,  Timothy  Farrar,  of  Lebanon,  N.  H. ;  Relief, 
William  Nilss,  Esq.,  of  West  Fairlee  ;  and  Hannah,  Dr. 
Jacob  Goodwin,  of  Colebrook,  N.  H. 

GENERAL  MICAH  BARRON  AND  FAMILY. 

Micah  Barron  was  born  in  Tyngsborough,  Mass.,  March 
26,  1763.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Colonel  John  Barron,  who 
was  an  early  and  distinguished  inhabitant  of  this  town, 
and  was  probably  induced  to  come  this  way  on  his  uncle's 
account.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Pearson, 
a  discreet,  good,  and  very  estimable  woman.  They  came 
here  with  a  view  to  permanent  settlement  February  2, 
1788.  He  had,  for  two  years  before,  been  engaged  in 
lumbering  on  the  Connecticut  River,  a  business  which  he 
followed  for  some  time  after.  Pine  trees,  all  along  on  the 
banks  of  this  river,  in  the  Coos  country  and  northward, 
were  then  large  and  abundant,  and  it  was  with  the  early 
settlers  a  great  business  to  get  their  trunks  into  the  river, 
to  be  floated  down  and  sold  for  ship  timber,  or  to  be  con 
verted  into  boards  and  shingles  for  building  houses.  The 
business  of  building  flat-bottomed  boats  for  the  convey 
ance  of  prepared  lumber  to  market,  and  to  bring  up  salt, 
rum,  molasses,  iron,  and  other  heavy  articles  of  merchan 
dise  in  return,  was  early  undertaken  and  continued  for 
many  years.  To  descend  the  river  was  comparatively 
13 


186 

easy,  but  to  return,  forcing  the  boat  along  against  the 
current  with  oars  and  pike-poles,  was  hard  work.  To  go 
in  this  way  from  Bradford  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  a  distance, 
by  the  river,  of  some  two  hundred  miles,  was  a  labor  of 
some  four  or  five  weeks.  But  "  Colonel  Mike,"  as  he  was 
afterwards  familiarly  called,  was  a  man  of  too  much  spirit 
and  ambition  to  wear  out  his  life  in  such  dull  and  labori 
ous  navigation. 

Writing  the  above  paragraph  vividly  recalls  to  mind  an 
anecdote  once  related  to  me  by  Mr.  Moody  Clark,  which  I 
think  deserving  of  a  place  in  this  connection.  He  said 
as  he  and  a  Mr.  Kennedy  were  once  going  down  the  river 
on  a  boat  or  raft,  I  forget  which,  they  fell  into  a  discus 
sion  of  the  difficult  subject  of  predestination  and  free 
agency.  The  latter  maintained  that  since  the  Almighty 
had  pre-determined  all  things,  no  effort  of  man  to  secure 
any  good,  either  in  this  life  or  that  to  come,  can  be  of  any 
real  advantage ;  that  those  who  are  to  be  saved  will  be, 
and  those  who  are  to  be  lost  will  be  lost,  let  them  do  what 
they  may.  Admitting  the  fact  of  predestination,  Clark 
was  not  willing  to  allow  the  necessity  or  justice  of  the 
above  conclusion,  but  insisted  that  in  the  divine  plan 
means  and  ends  were  as  closely  united  as  if  all  depended 
on  man's  free  will  and  efforts.  While  thus  arguing,  as 
thousands  have  done  before  and  since,  they  were  driven 
to  a  very  logical  and  just  conclusion,  as  follows  : 

K.  "  Well,  we  are  coming  near  the  falls." 

Clark  pays  no  attention. 

K.  "  I  say  we  are  coming  near  the  falls,  and  must  pull 
hard  to  get  into  the  canal." 

Clark,  still  apparently  indifferent,  replies,  "  If  we  are 
to  be  saved  we  shall  be,  and  it  is  of  no  use  to  make  any 
effort." 

K.  "  Why  do  you  talk  so  like  a  fool  ?  Take  up  your 
oars,  instantly,  and  pull  hard,  or  we  shall  go  over  the  falls 
as  sure  as  fate  1 " 


187 

They  both  exerted  themselves,  brought  their  craft  into 
the  canal,  and  were  let  safely  through  the  locks  into  the 
smooth  water  below. 

"  That/'  said  Clark,  "  is  the  way.  We  were  predestin 
ated  to  be  saved,  but  you  see  we  had  to  work  hard  to 
secure  it,  after  all." 

We  return  from  this  digression.  Micah  Barron,  leav 
ing  the  river,  entered  into  mercantile  business,  and  from 
an  humble  beginning  carried  it  to  a  commanding  extent. 
His  first  store  was  in  Bradford  village,  a  little  North  of 
the  corner  where  you  turn  to  the  right  to  go  up  "  Goshen 
road,"  on  the  eastern  border  of  what  is  now  Mr.  Low's 
garden.  The- side  of  the  building  next  to  the  street  was  • 
two  stories  high  ;  the  West  side  was  but  one.  The  base 
ment  and  room  directly  above  were  for  the  store,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  building  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
family.  He  afterwards  built  the  large  and  commodious 
house,  a  little  further  North,  which  has  long  been  the  res 
idence  of  Asa  Low  and  family  ;  and  so  extended  his  busi 
ness  that  at  one  time  he  had  not  only  a  store  in  this  vil 
lage,  but  one  on  the  line  between  Bradford  and  Newbury, 
near  the  present  site  of  Goshen  meeting  house,  one  in 
East  Topsham,  and  one  in  East  Corinth.  The  result  seems 
not  to  have  been  very  favorable,  and  in  the  decline  of  life 
his  circumstances  were  rather  straitened. 

Our  friend  was  of  a  military  turn,  and  rose  from  the 
rank  of  a  subaltern  to  that  of  Colonel  of  a  regiment,  and 
then  to  that  of  Brigadier  General.  At  general  musters 
he  was  in  his  glory.  In  his  rich  uniform,  mounted  on  his 
splendid  horse,  and  full  of  animation,  he  presented  a  truly 
commanding  appearance.  He  never  had  occasion,  how 
ever,  to  engage  in  actual  warfare. 

For  twenty-three  years  Colonel  Barron  executed  the 
office  of  a  Sheriff  in  Orange  County,  the  last  four  years  of 
which  he  was  High  Sheriff.  At  that  time,  especially  in 
the  earlier  part  of  his  official  career,  there  was  much  to 


188 

be  done  by  that  officer,  not  merely  in  the  collection  of 
debts,  but  in  criminal  prosecutions,  and  the  punishment 
of  offenders.  Then  disturbers  of  the  peace  were  liable  to 
be  set  in  the  stocks,  a  sort  of  frame  to  confine  the  feet 
between  two  pieces  of  timber ;  and  thieves,  counterfeit 
ers,  and  such  like  characters,  to  be  tied  up  to  a  whipping 
post,  and  receive  a  certain  number  of  lashes  laid  on  the 
bare  shoulders  with  a  cat-o'-nine  tails,  "  an  instrument  of 
punishment,"  says  Webster,  "  consisting  of  nine  pieces  of 
line  or  cord,  fastened  to  a  piece  of  thick  rope,  and  having 
each  three  knots  at  intervals ;  used  to  flog  offenders  on 
board  of  ships."  In  some  instances  criminals  were  brand 
ed  with  some  ignominious  mark  on  the  cheek,  as  with  an 
R  for  rogue,  or  L  for  liar,  or  had  the  rim  of  an  ear  cut 
away.  Even  in  this  town  were  a  set  of  stocks  and  a 
whipping-post.  They  stood  on  the  East  side  of  Main 
Street,  near  where  you  turn  to  go  down  to  the  paper 
mill.  These  punishments  were  more  generally  inflicted 
at  Chelsea,  near  the  jail,  but  even  here  Sheriff  Barron 
occasionally  exercised  his  authority  by  laying  the  lashes 
on  the  back  of  some  luckless  culprit  tied  to  the  whipping 
post.  The  names  of  two  or  three  of  these  transgressors 
have  been  given  me,  but  why  should  they  be  perpetuated 
with  dishonor?  It  is  a  matter  of  rejoicing  that  such  bar 
barous  corporeal  punishments  are  no  longer  in  use  among 
us. 

As  "  Colonel  Mike  "  had  become  famous  for  arresting 
desperate  offenders  and  bringing  them  to  justice,  he  was, 
about  the  year  1800,  induced  to  undertake  the  hazardous 
enterprise  of  going  into  Canada  to  arrest  the  notorious 
counterfeiter,  Stephen  Burroughs.  This  man,  a  son  of 
Rev.  Eden  Burroughs,  S.  T.  D.,  of  Hanover,  N.  TL,  pos 
sessed  good  talents  and  education,  was  kind,  courteous 
and  gentlemanly  in  his  appearance  and  manners,  but  was 
destitute  of  moral  principle,  and  a  most  shrewd  and  ac- 
complishecl  villain — not  in  the  way  of  deeds  of  violence 


189 

and  blood,  but  in  diverting  tricks  of  deception,  in  cheat 
ing,  and  especially  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  and 
issuing  counterfeit  currency,  both  in  the  shape  of  coin 
and  bank  bills.  He  had  established  himself  at  Shipton,  in 
Lower  Canada,  and  was  deluging  New  England  with  his 
finely  executed  bank  notes,  greatly  to  the  annoyance  and 
damage  of  the  community,  and  especially  of  the  banks. 
In  consequence  of  this,  the  officers  of  several  of  these  es 
tablishments  entered  into  an  agreement  to  bear  the  ex 
pense  of  a  strenuous  effort  to  have  the  great  counterfeiter 
arrested,  and  a  stop  put  to  his  business.  Looking  about 
for  a  man  of  the  right  stamp  to  accomplish  such  an  un 
dertaking,  they  could  see  no  one  so  likely  to  answer  their 
purpose  as  Sheriff  Barron.  They  accordingly  engaged 
him  to  make  the  attempt.  The  thing  was  not  to  be  done 
in  a  day.  He  engaged  two  shrewd  men,  in  whom  he  had 
confidence,  to  go  to  Burroughs  with  pretense  of  favor 
towards  him  and  his  business,  and  a  desire  to  purchase 
and  deal  in  his  counterfeit  currency.  As  they  proved  to 
be  constant  and  profitable  customers,  they  were  gradual 
ly  admitted  into  all  the  secrets  of  the  establishment,  knew 
everybody,  how  everything  was  transacted,  where  Bur-* 
roughs  slept,  at  what  time  in  the  morning  his  guard  of 
fifteen  men  were  released'  from  their  night  watching, 
where  they  placed  their  guns,  and  retired  for  repose. 

In  the  meantime  Barron,  furnished  with  all  necessary 
testimonials,  had  been  holding  interviews  with  the  Gov 
ernor  General  of  the  Canadas,  and  obtained  from  him  a 
warrant  for  the  arrest  of  the  criminal  j  a  commission  ex 
traordinary,  commanding  His  Majesty's  subjects,  especial 
ly  all  officers  of  the  government,  both  civil  and  military, 
to  give  him  support,  protection  and  assistance  to  any  ex 
tent  he  might  require,  in  order  to  arrest  and  bring  to 
trial  the  said  Burroughs.  Without  having  excited  any 
alarm,  Barron  was  one  night,  with  twenty-two  armed 
men,  in  the  town  of  Shipton.  He  had  received  full  in- 


190 

formation  of  everything  from  his  spies.  They  were  prob 
ably  at  that  time  with  him.  In  the  darkness  of  night  he 
drew  his  company  near  to  the  house  of  Burroughs,  and 
lay  concealed  till,  in  the  dawn  of  the  morning,  his  guard 
of  fifteen  men  went  in,  set  up  their  guns,  as  their  custom 
was,  in  the  hall,  and  retired  into  the  attic  for  sleep.  Then 
Barren  with  his  company  softly  entered,  and,  having  se 
cured  the  guns  the  guard  had  just  before  set  down,  he 
directly  entered  the  sleeping  apartment  of  Burroughs 
and  seized  him  in  his  bed  !  Burroughs  snatched  a  pistol 
from  under  his  pillow  to  shoot  him,  and  called  loudly  for 
his  guard,  but  the  pistol  was  instantly  struck  from  his 
hand,  and  the  guard,  hearing  many  voices  and, much  con 
fusion  below,  leaped,  terror-stricken,  from  their  attic 
window  and  fled  away.  Burroughs  was  overpowered  and 
firmly  bound  with  cords.  When,  in  the  clearer  light  of 
the  morning,  he  saw  in  whose  hands  he  was,  for  he  had 
before  known  Sheriff  Barrbm,  he  complimented  his  cour 
age,  and,  promising  submission,  entreated  him  to  unbind 
his  arms,  as  the  cords  had  become  very  painful.  "  Colonel 
Mike,"  he  says,  "  you  are  a  gentleman,  and  so  am  I ;  un 
bind  my  arms,  and  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  that  I 
will  be  entirely  subject  to  your  orders."  Barron  trusted 
him,  but  came  near  losing  his  life  by  so  doing,  for  shortly 
after,  when  standing  at  a  little  distance  from  his  prisoner, 
and  looking  another  way,  Burroughs  was  seen  stealthily 
pointing  a  pistol  at  him,  when  a  sharp  click  was  heard, 
but  no  report  followed.  It  had  missed  fire!  Barron, 
being  told  of  his  attempt,  took  the  pistol  from  him,  de 
manding  what  he  meant  by  such  conduct.  The  villain 
replied,  "  I  meant  to  shoot  you."  The  sheriff,  pointing 
the  same  pistol  to  a  green  birch  tree,  fired  it,  when  a  bul 
let  was  discharged  with  such  force  as  to  sink  deeply  into 
the  solid  wood.  The  prisoner  then  being  thoroughly 
searched,  was  subjected  to  the  closest  vigilance,  assured 
that  if  he  made  any  further  attempt  of  that  sort  he  would 


191 

be  instantly  shot  down.  He  remained  quiet,  was  taken 
to  Montreal,  and  delivered  to  the  authority  of  the  Gov 
ernor  for  trial.  Barren,  both  in  Montreal  and  at  home, 
was  regarded  as  a  hero,  who  had  accomplished  success 
fully  a  very  hazardous  undertaking.  Burroughs,  how 
ever,  as  is  generally  the  case  with  accomplished  villains, 
had  many  friends,  and  through  their  management,  after  a 
confinement  of  some  duration,  escaped  through  the  mesh 
es  of  the  law  with  impunity,  and  returned  to  his  old  busi 
ness  of  counterfeiting. 

I  have  been  told  that  Barron  was  sent  a  second  time  to 
arrest  him,  when,  coming  suddenly  upon  him,  Burroughs 
at  once  thrust  his  hand  into  his  bosom  to  seize  a  deadly 
weapon,  when  Barron  cried  out,  adapting  his  action  to  his 
word,  "  If  you  stir  you  are  a  dead  man  !"  Burroughs, 
looking  up  into  his  determined  countenance,  replied, 
"Colonel  Mike,  I  had  as  lief  see  the  devil  as  see  you," 
and  without  resistance  submitted.  He  was  again  impris 
oned,  but  contrived  to  escape.  In  his  old  age  he  became 
a  Roman  Catholic,  and  is  said  to  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  giving  good  advice  to  young  man,  telling  them  not  to 
do  as  he  had  dons,  for  he  had  found  the  way  of  the  trans 
gressor  to  be  hard. 

General  Barron  was  in  person  rather  a  large  man,  erect 
and  strongly  built,  his  countenance  open,  and  expressive 
at  once  of  boldness  and  good  nature.  On  one  cheek  was 
a  singular  spot,  large  as  the  print  of  ons's  finger,  and 
bright  as  a  ripe  English  cherry.  He  wore  his  hair  combed 
directly  back  from  his  forehead,  and  did  not  need  a  shaggy 
beard  to  give  evidence  in  any  company  that  he  was  a 
MAN.  Hs  possessed  a  good  share  of  general  intelli 
gence,  and  was  in  conversation  social  and  interesting. 
After  the  close  of  active  business  he  lived  for  some  time 
in  Boston,  but  spent  his  last  days  in  Bradford,  where  he 
died  November  £6,  1839,  aged  seventy-six  years  and  eight 
months. 


192 

Mrs.  Barron  died  at  Bradford,  March  10,  1832,  aged 
seventy-two  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega 
tional  church,  and  universally  esteemed  as  an  excellent 
woman. 

General  Barron  and  wife  had  but  two  children.  Their 
daughter  Elizabeth  married  David  Hartwell,  a  respectable 
man,  then  in  business  with  her  father.  She  died  early  in  life, 
leaving  no  child.  The  son,  Colonel  William  Barron,  a  gen 
tleman  well  known  in  this  town  and  vicinity,  was  in  early 
manhood  occupied  in  mercantile  business  with  his  father, 
and  for  some  years  traded  at  Corinth,  East  Village.  He  first 
married  Miss,  Bailey,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Bailey,  Esq.,  of 
Newbury,  and  by  her  had  two  daughters.  After  her  de 
cease  he  returned  to  Bradford,  and  was  for  some  years 
devoted  to  the  business  of  a  sheriff,  and  gave  so  good  sat 
isfaction  that  he  was  promoted  to  be  High  Sheriff  of  Or 
ange  County.  He  had  also  a  liking  for  military  affairs, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  a  Colonel.  He  was  a 
wide  awake,  very  affable  and  polite  sort  of  a  man,  fond  of 
society,  and  spent  more  than  the  first  half  of  his  life  in 
the  ways  of  the  world  ;  to  the  neglect  of  one  thing  need 
ful.  After  the  decease  of  Captain  William  Trotter,  in 
1822,  he  married  his  widow,  a  pious  lady,  who  possessed  a 
considerable  estate,  which  he  seems  to  have  managed  for 
her  interest  as  well  as  his  own,  judiciously.  In  the  time 
of  a  powerful  revival  of  religion,  about  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1837,  he  became  hopefully  converted,  and,  with 
many  others,  united  with  the  Congregational  church  here, 
to  which  his  wife  had  for  years  belonged.  From  that 
time  till  the  close  of  his  life,  some  thirty-six  years  after, 
he  remained  a  praying  man.  After  the  lapse  of  several 
years  Colonel  Barron  and  wife  sold  their  real  estate  in 
Bradford,  and  purchased  a  pleasant  homestead  in  Nor 
wich,  Yt.,  where  they  lived  for  some  time,  but  finally 
settled  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  where,  in  very  agreeable  cir 
cumstances,  they  passed  their  few  remaining  years,  and, 


193 

sustained  by  the  promises  and  consolations  of  the  Gospel, 
'died  about  the  same  time  ;  Colonel  Barren  October  25, 
1873,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
ron  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  aged  eighty-three. 
The  remains  of  both  were  brought  for  burial  to  Norwich, 
Vt.,  and  there  laid  down  together  to  their  final  repose, 
where  their  daughter  Isabelle  had  been  laid  before  them. 

By  his  first  marriage  Colonel  Barron  had  two  daughters, 
namely,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Joseph  M._  Bean,  then  of 
Lyme,  N.  H.,  and  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Silas 
Burbank,  a  merchant  in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  both  of  whom 
were  left  in  widowhood  before  the  decease  of  their  par 
ents.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  eldest  son,  William  Trotter,  graduated 
at  Vermont  University,  studied  law,  became  settled  in 
business  at  Chicago  about  the  year  1852,  rose  to  distinc 
tion,  was  promoted  to  be  a  County  Judge,  accumulated 
considerable  property,  and  was  esteemed  a  capable,  up 
right,  and  honorable  man ;  but  by  a  terrible  railroad  dis 
aster  was,  at  about  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  suddenly  • 
killed ;  his  head  being  actually  severed  from  his  body,  and 
his  person  otherwise  shockingly  mangled.  He  had  never 
married,  and  is  understood  to  have  seasonably  made  his 
will  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  his  property.  This 
sad  event  occurred  near  Chicago,  in  January,  1862. 

Everett  Barron,  brother  of  the  Judge,  has  for  years 
been  a  hotel  keeper  at  Fairbault,  Minnesota.  Remains 
unmarried.  His  sister  Charlotte  married  a  Mr.  Rogers,  of 
Massachusetts,  was  a  talented,  pious  lady,  and  died  in 
widowhood  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  not  long  after  the  decease 
of  her  parents ;  leaving  an  only  son,  Willie.  Isabelle  died 
at  Norwich,  Vt.,  years  before.  Thus  families  rise,  flourish 
for  a  little  season,  and  pass  away. 


194 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM    TROTTER. 

Captain  William  Trotter  was  born  in  Broughton,  Lan 
cashire,  England,  June  29, 1769,  but  his  subsequent  home, 
during  his  residence  in  his  native  land,  was  in  Working- 
ton,  Cumberland  County.  From  this  port,  in  the  vicinity 
of  coal  mines,  great  quantities  of  coal  have  for  a  long 
time  been  yearly  shipped  to  Ireland  and  the  Isle  of  Man. 
At  the  age  of  nine  }^ears  he  was  bound  to  a  ship-master, 
engaged  in  this  trade,  to  be  learned  the  business  of  a 
mariner.  His  first  employment  was  that  of  a  cabin  boy. 
Finding  his  master,  as  he  thought,  unreasonably  severe, 
and  the  business  disagreeable,  he  made  complaint  to  his 
step-father,  Matheson,  and  desired  him,  if  possible,  to 
procure  his  release  and  obtain  for  him  a  situation  under 
some  other  captain,  who  would  treat  him  better,  but  was 
silenced  by  the  following  laconic  and  singular  reply : 
"Bill,  it  is  better  for  thee  to  remain  in  the  power  of  a  devil 
whose  ways  thou  knowest,  than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
another  whose  ways  thou  dost  not  know."  In  this  busi 
ness  he  continued  for  about  ten  years,  when,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  seeking  employ 
ment.  He  soon  found  favor  with  Clark  &  Nightingale,  of 
Providence,  R.  I.,  who  were  engaged  in  foreign  commerce. 
From  the  rank  of  a  boatswain  he  rose  in  a  few  years  to 
that  of  captain,  and  b"y  his  ability,  activity,  and  faithful 
ness  in  their  service  gained  the  high  esteem  and  full  con 
fidence  of  his  employers.  He  made  some  distant  voy 
ages,  in  one  of  which  he  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
long  before  the  light  and  manifold  blessings  of  Christian 
ity  were  imparted  to  them,  and  many  were  the  anecdotes 
which  he  could  tell  respecting  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people.  By  his  kind  treatment  of  them,  and  the 
respect  which  he  paid  to  their  king,  Tomahamaha  the  1st, 
he  became  a  favorite  with  the  people.  A  spear  made  of 
very  hard,  heavy  wood,  curiously  wrought,  presented  to 


195 

him  by  that  proud  savage  monarch  may  probably  still  be 
seen  at  the  house  of  Col.  Barren,  of  Hartford,  Ct.  His" 
principal  business,  however,  was  to  carry  articles  of  com 
merce  from  this  country  to  Europe,  to  exchange  for  other 
articles  better  adapted  to  the  South  American  markets, 
and  sell  them  there  at  high  prices,  taking  pay  not  merely 
in  hides,  and  other  commodities  of  lawful  traffic,  but  as 
far  as  possible  in  gold  and  silver,  which  at  that  time  the 
Spanish  colonists  were  not  allowed  to  dispose  of  to  the 
citizens  of  any  foreign  country  but  their  own.  It  is  said 
the  first  United  States  flag  ever  seen  in  the  harbor  of 
Buenos  Ayres  was  raised  by  Capt.  Trotter. 

The  trade  in  which  he  was  there  engaged  was  hazard 
ous,  and. could  be  conducted  only  with  great  caution.  On 
this  account  his  employers  allowed  him  a  liberal  per  cent- 
age  on  all  the  profits  accruing  from  his  management  of 
their  business.  While  trading  with  the  South  Americans, 
he  formed  intimate  friendships  with  some  of  the  officials 
and  merchants,  who  for  their  own  interests  were  ready  to 
aid  him  in  the  prosecution  .of  his  purposes.  At  times  they 
would  invite  him,  with  his  wife  and  some  of  the  officers, 
to  private  entertainments  at  their  houses,  and  then  he 
would  invite  them  to  dine  on  board  of  his  ship.  These 
seasons  were  faithfully  improved  in  carrying  specie  on 
board  in  a  clandestine  manner,  generally  in  belts  beneath 
their  clothes.  On  one  occasion  Mrs.  Trotter  had  got  her 
pocket  so  heavily  laden  that,  as  she  was  about  to  go  on 
board,  her  pocket  string  broke,  and  she  instantly  fell,  ap 
pearing  to  have  fainted  away,  when  the  Captain,  with  some 
of  his  men,  who  understood  the  case,  immediately  gath 
ered  her  up,  taking  care  to  keep  her  skirts  closely  wrap 
ped  about  her,  and  carried  her  on  board  without  exciting 
suspicion.  Had  hoops  then  been  in  fashion,  they  might 
have  proved  a  sad  annoyance.  In  this  contraband  trade 
the  Captain  was  so  successful  that  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  he  accumulated  the  means  of  a  handsome  support 


196 

during  the  remnant  of  his  days.  Mr.  Clark  remained  dur 
ing  life  his  fast  friend  ;  and,  many  years  after  these  trans 
actions,  died  at  his  house  in  Bradford. 

Capt.  Trotter  on  leaving  the  sea  purchased  a  beautiful 
situation  in  Attleborough,  Mass.,  where  he -resided  a  few 
years,  when,  travelling  through  this  part  of  the  country, 
he  was  much  pleased  with  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut 
river,  and  purchased  for  himself  a  situation  in  Bradford 
village,  with  a  large  farm  adjoining.  When  he  settled 
down  here,  February  2,  1804,  he  was  worth  about  forty 
thousand  dollars,  which  was  at  that  time  esteemed  by  the 
people  a  great  fortune.  He  built  a  commodious  house  in 
the  central  part  of  the  village,  Avhich  has  been  much  en 
larged,  and  for  years  occupied  as  a  hotel,  styled  the 
"Trotter  House."  He  also  built  and  put  in  operation  a 
cotton  factory,  just  above  the  lowest  bridge  for  ordinary 
travel  across  Waits  river,  on  the  south  side  of  the  stream, 
where  the  scythe-stone  and  kit  factories  now  stand.  This 
business  proving  unprofitable,  was  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  abandoned.  He  also  set  up  an  extensive  distillery 
for  converting  grain  into  whiskey,  and  prosecuted  that 
business  for  several  years.  The  long  row  of  buildings  for 
this  purpose  stood  a  little  south  of  his  house,  on  the  bor 
der  of  the  meadow  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  This  under 
taking  proved  in  various  respe.cts  worse  than  the  other, 
and  for  a  long  time  the  old,  deserted  and  decaying  build 
ings  stood  as  a  warning  to  every  beholder.  The  Captain 
for  some  time  had  a  store  on  the  west  side  of  the  street, 
a  little  north  of  where  "Prichard's  store"  now  stands,  and 
afterwards  traded  on  the  opposite  side.  But  so  far  as  his 
estate  in  Bradford  was  concerned,  his  principal  income 
must  have  been  derived  from  his  farm  and  grist-mill. 
Probably  from  his  coming  into  this  town  to  the  time  of 
his  decease,  a  period  of  eighteen  years,  his  property  was 
gradually  diminishing.  By  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  he 
was  highly  respected,  and  occasionally  elected  to  offices 


197 

of  trust  and  importance.  For  a  time  he  officiated  as  one 
of  the  selectmen,  and  again  had  command  as  captain  of  a 
military  company. 

Captain  Trotter  was  a  man  of  great  natural  kindness 
and  liberality.  Some  few  instances  in  proof  of  this  I 
will  mention. 

On  a  certain  occasion  an  Irish  boy  came  along,  poorly 
clad,  selling  needles  and  pins,  while  diligently  seeking 
for  his  father,  whom  he  hoped  to  find  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  The  Captain  was  pleased  with  the  smartness  of 
the  boy,  and  on  learning  his  condition  and  business,  gen 
erously  detained  him  for  several  days  in  his  house.  In 
the  meantime  he  sent  the  little  fellow  with  a  good  bundle 
of  materials  to  a  tailoress,  who  made  for  him  a  new  suit 
of  clothes,  greatly  to  his  delight.  In  a  few  days  the  fa 
ther  came  along  inquiring  for  his  boy,  and  was  over 
whelmed  with  jay  and  gratitude,  when  he  found  how 
generously  he  had  been  cared  for.  The  name  of  the  boy 
was  Francis  Kelley.  He  and  his  father  were  from  Ire 
land,  seeking,  I  believe,  a  home  in  Canada. 

On  another  occasion  a  great  fire  in  Newburyport,  Mass., 
reduced  many  persons  to  distress  for  food  and  other  nec 
essaries  of  life.  Captain  Trotter,  on  learning  the  fact,  im 
mediately  dispatched  a  two-horse  team,  heavily  loaded 
with  flour  and  meal,  entirely  at  his  own  expense,  for  the  re 
lief  of  the  sufferers.  Joseph  Jenkins  was  the  man  he  sent. 
A  Mr.  Ford,  a  poor  man  in  Bradford,  had  the  misfor 
tune  to  lose  his  only  cow,  and  on  the  morning  of  a  town 
meeting  day  came  to  Captain  Trotter  with  his  sorrowful 
story,  asking  if  he  would  be  so  kind  as  to  draw  up  a  sub 
scription,  and  give  it  a  start  to  help  him  buy  another  cow. 
The  Captain,  always  ready  for  such  an  emergency,  took 
his  pencil  and  wrote :  "  Fellow  Townsmen : 

Charity  never  knocked  louder  than  now, 

A  poor  old  couple  have  lost  their  cow, 

The  cow  belonged  to  Deacon  Ford, 

Give  to  the  poor,  and  lend  to  the  Lord." 


198 

This  he  publicly  read,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the 
men  assembled,  and  signing  his  name,  with  a  liberal  sum 
annexed,  handed  round  the  paper,  when  to  the  great  joy 
of  the  poor  man  enough  was  shortly  subscribed  to  buy 
another  cow,  and  hay  to  keep  her  through  the  Winter. 

Captain  Trotter,  though  not  a  professor  of  religion,  was 
ever  ready  to  give  liberally  towards  its  support.  His 
regular  subscription  towards  his  minister's  salary  was  fifty 
dollars  a  year.  He  also  gave  the  minister  the  use  of  a 
house,  barn,  and  garden,  and  the  privilege  of  having  all 
grinding  at  the  Captain's  mill,  toll  free.  He  made  many 
other  presents  besides.  The  first  time  the  Association  of 
ministers  met  in  Bradford  after  my  settlement,  Captain  Trot  - 
ter  and  his  lady  furnished  gratuitously  the  entertainment 
in  a  very  handsome  manner.  Being  at  church  one  com 
munion  day,  and  observing  how  poorly  the  table  was  pro 
vided  with  furniture,  glass  vessels  being  used,  and  one  of 
them  having  got  broken  on  the  way,  he  immediately  sent 
to  Boston  an  order  for  silver  furniture  for  the  Lord's  ta 
ble,  which  he  presented  to  the  Congregational  church.  It 
cost  him  about  two  hundred  dollars.  An  inscription  on 
the  large  tankard  indicates  that  the  donation  was  made 
as  a  testimonial  of  gratitude  to  God  for  his  goodness  in 
the  preservation  of  the  life  of  the  giver  in  the  four  quar 
ters  of  the  globe.  May  these  precious  articles  of  solid 
silver  long  remain  a  pleasing  memorial  of  his  liberality. 

He  seemed  to  have  a  great  respect  for  religion,  and  for 
those  whom  he  esteemed  truly  pious  people,  but  did  not 
like  to  be  very  closely  approached  on  the  subject  of  per 
sonal  piety.  When  his  young  pastor,  at  a  certain  time, 
tried  to  be  faithful  to  him  in  that  respect,  he  was  evidently 
much  disturbed,  and  in  effect  said,  "  What  right  have  you 
to  ask  me  such  questions?  "  A  storm  seemed  to  be  gath 
ering,  when,  taking  my  hat  and  silently  bowing  him  good 
bye,  I  turned  toward  the  door,  to  leave  him  alone  to  his  re 
flections.  Just  as  I  reached  the  door,  I  felt  some  one  gent- 


199 

ly  pull  the  skirts  of  my  coat.  I  turned  to  see  what  was 
wanted,  when  he  said  to  me,  with  a  smile,  "  Mr.  McKeen, 
if  at  any  time  you  should  want  any  favor  of  me,  be  as 
sured  I  will  esteem  it  a  pleasure  to  oblige  you."  My 
obligations  to  him  on  the  score  of  benefits  received,  dur 
ing  the  course  of  some  eight  years  were  many  and  great. 
Captain  Trotter  was  in  person  tall  and  erect,  of  light 
complexion,  blue  eyes,  and  reddish  hair,  gentlemanly  in 
his  manners,  and  much  given  to  hospitality,  having  an  in 
tolerable  dislike  of  all  meanness.  He  was  in  the  habit  of 
reading  extensively  the  current  news,  had  been  about  the 
world  a  great  deal,  possessed  much  general  intelligence, 
and  delighted  in  conversation.  He  was  in  most  respects 
an  admirable  man. 

"  Large  was  his  bounty  and  his  soul  sincere, 

No  farther  seek  his  merits  to  disclose, 
Or  draw  his  frailties  from  their  dread  abode. 

(There  they,  alike,  in  trembling  hope  repose), 
The  bosom  of  his  Father  acd  his  God." 

He  died  June  11,  1822,  lacking  but  eighteen  days  of 
being  fifty- three  years  of  age.  His  remains  repose  by  the 
side  of  those  of  his  first  wife,  the  lady  who  voyaged  with 
him  to  foreign  lands,  and  assisted  him  in  the  acquisition 
of  his  wealth.  For  some  years  before  her  decease  she 
manifested  a  deep  interest  in  religion,  and  died  enjoying 
its  consolations,  November  9,  1813,  aged  forty-four  years 
and  ten  months. 

The  widow  of  Captain  Trotter,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Hannah  D.  Brooks,  a  very  estimable  lady,  married 
Colonel  William  Barren,  of  Bradford.  They  continued  to 
reside  here  for  several  years,  but  finally  disposed  of  their 
estate,  and  purchased  a  very  eligible  situation  a  little  West 
of  the  University  in  Norwich,  Vt.,  for  their  home.  They 
finally  removed  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  she  died  Octo 
ber  25,  1873,  aged  eighty-three  years.  See  the  account 
of  the  Barrons. 

At  the  time  of  Captain  Trotter's  decease  there  was  a 


200 

statute  in  existence  in  Vermont  to  the  effect  that  if  a  per 
son  died  intestate,  leaving  no  heirs,  or  a  man  thus  died 
leaving  no  heirs  but  his  widow,  his  estate,  alter  the  pay 
ment  of  all  debts,  should  escheat  to  the  town  to  which  he 
belonged,  for  the  support  of  schools,  allowing  in  the  latter 
case  the  widow  the  use  of  one-third  of  the  property  dur 
ing  her  life  time. 

These  conditions  were  all  found  to  exist  in  the  case  of 
Captain  Trotter,  as  he  had  left  no  will,  no  issue,  and  no 
relatives  having  legal  right --to  claim  any  portion  of  his 
estate.  All  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  widow.  In  this 
state  of  affairs  the  town  of  Bradford  preferred  a  claim  to 
what  the  law  above  named  allowed  them.  The  claim  was 
resisted  as  unjust.  A  suit,  involving  serious  expense  on 
both  sides,  ensued,  which  was  finally  settled  by  compro 
mise  ;  the  town  of  Bradford  agreeing  to  take  the  sum  of 
$4,355.99  as  satisfactory.  This  sum  was  duly  invested 
for  the  benefit  of  schools,  and  the  interest  is  annually  ap 
plied  towards  their  support.  The  law  was  soon  after  re 
pealed,  and  this  is  said  to  be  the  only  case  decided  under 
it.  The  town  have  caused  the  burial  place  of  Captain 
Trotter  and  his  first  wife  to  be  handsomely  enclosed,  and 
otherwise  improved. 


201 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Hunkins,  Underwood,  Bliss  and  Wright  Families. 

CAPTAIN  ROBERT  HUNKINS,  AND  FAMILY. 

Captain  Hunkins,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this 
town,  was  universally  esteemed  an  upright,  kind  hearted, 
and  truly  worthy  man.  His  farm  was  on  the  Connecticut 
River,  in  the  north-east  part  of  the  town.  There  he  long 
lived,  and  on  the  1st  of  April,  1818,  died  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  his  age.  The  farm  is  now  (1868)  occupied  by  his 
grandson,  Asher  Emerson  Hunkins.  For  most  of  the 
lacts  constituting  the  following  sketch,  I  have  been  in 
debted  to  Mrs.  James  Abbott,  of  Newbury,  a  grand-daugh 
ter  of  the  Captain. 

Robert  Hunkins  was  born  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  January 
13,  1739.  While  he  was  quite  young,  his  father,  John 
Hunkins,  moved  with  his  family  to  Hampstead,  N.  H., 
where  both  he  and  his  wife  npt  long  alter  died,  leaving 
five  children,  of  whom  Robert  was  the  oldest.  He  was 
taken  to  live  with  Captain — afterwards  General — Hazen. 
When  some  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  went 
with  Captain  Hazen  and  his  company  into  what  is  now 
called  "  the  old  French  and  Indian  war,''  then  fiercely 
raging  between  the  French  and  Indians  011  one  side  and 
the  English  North  Americans  and  British  Government  on 
the  other. 

Hazen  and  his  men  were  sent  to  strengthen  the  force 
at  Fort  William  Henry,  on  the  northern  shore  of  Lake 
George.  That  fort,  after  a  brave  defence,  was  taken  by 
the  French  commander,  Montcalm,  in  1757.  The  English 
who  survived  the  slaughter  were  carried  by  the  French 
and  their  savage  allies  into  Canada  as  prisoners,  and  were 
there  treated  with  great  severity.  Hunkins  seeing  two 
Indians  dragging  away  his  friend,  Captain  Hazen,  ran  up, 
14 


202 

with  a  fellow  soldier,  behind  them,  and  gave  them  so  vio 
lent  a  push  as  to  break  their  hold  on  Hazen,  who  escaped ; 
but  the  young  men  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  and 
by  them  were  carried  off,  instead  of  their  Captain,  into  the 
enemy's  country.  But  to  what  place  in  particular,  or 
how  long  they  were  held  as  prisoners,  is  not  now  definitely 
known.  The  time,  however,  is  believed  to  have  been 
over  six  months. 

The  Indians,  Mr.  Hunkins  said,  took  away  most  of  his 
clothes,  and  at  night  would  tie  his  hands  behind  him,  and 
require  him  to  lie  down  between  some  two  of  .them,  who 
were  charged  with  his  safe  keeping.  One  night  he  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  his  hands  loose,  and  was  not  long  in 
untying  the  hands  of  his  fellow  prisoner.  They  softly 
crept  away,  ran  down  to  the  shore,  got  into  a  birch-bark 
ca'noe,  and  pushed  off  to  some  other  point,  so  as  not  to  be 
tracked.  On  coming  to  land  again,  they  broke  a  hole  in 
the  canoe  and  sank  it,  then  hid  in  some  hollow  logs  that 
happened  to  be  near.  They  were,  however,  pursued,  and 
the  Indians  several  times  the  next  day  came  to  the  very 
logs  in  which  they  were  hid,  but  without  discovering 
them.  At  night  they  started  again,  and  got  beyond  the 
reach  of  their  pursuers.  Mr.  Hunkins  said  when  he  es 
caped  he  had  no  hat  or  shoes,  in  fact  no  garment  but  his 
shirt,  and  that  with  one  sleeve  missing !  What  they 
could  find  in  the  woods  had  to  suffice  for  food  until  they 
reached  a  Dutch  settlement,  where  a  kind  woman  re 
freshed  them  with  buttermilk,  and  gave  him  an  old  hat 
without  a  brim.  Pressing  on  through  difficulties  and  hu 
miliations,  they  finally  reached  in  safety  their  friends  at 
home,  who  had  long  been  waiting  anxiously  for  them. 

When  Mr.  Hunkins  was  twenty -one  years  of  age,  he 
went  on  to  a  farm  which  had  been  owned  by  his  father, 
in  Hampstead,  and  married  Fhebe  Emerson,  of  that  town, 
as  the  wife  of  his  youth.  He  remained  there  a  few  years, 
when  he  came  to  Newbury,  Vt.,  then  almost  a  wilder- 


203 

ness,  and  commenced  labor  on  a  river  lot  which  subse 
quently  became  the  fine  farm  of  Colonel  Moody  Chamber- 
lin.  He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  a  man 
came  after  him  with  the  sorrowful  tidings  that  his  wife 
was  dangerously  sick,  when  he  took  the  messenger's 
horse  and  with  all  speed  set  out  for  home.  For  most  of 
the  distance  there  was  but  a  bridle  path,  and  that  so  full 
of  obstructions  that  he  left  his  horse  by  the  way,  and  pur 
sued  his  journey  on  loot.  When  he  reached  home  he 
found  to  his  grief  that  his  beloved  wife  was  dead,  and 
that  the  friends  were  just  then  returning  from  the  burial. 
He  returned  to  Newbury,  having  disposed  of  the  first 
lot  taken  up,  purchased  another  about  a  mile  North  of  it, 
where  the  road  now  turns  off  to  go  to  West  Newbury  and 
Topsham.  In  due  season  he  married'  for  his  second  wife 
Lydia  Chamberlin,  of  Litchfield,  Conn.  She  had  previ 
ously  come  from  her  native  State,  with  some  friends,  to 
visit  her  relatives  in  Newbury.  Their  journey  was  in  the 
Winter,  and  most  of  it  on  the  frozen  river.  She  was  glad 
to  reach  her  uncle  Chamberlin's,  buf  in  that  early  stage  of 
the  settlement  found  everything  so  different  from  what 
she  had  been  used  to,  that  she  hardly  knew  how  to  stay, 
even -for  a  night.  She  soon,  however,  began  to  like  such  a 
rustic  manner  of  life  much  better  than  she  expected  ;  and 
was  employe'd  during  the  Summer  in  teaching  a  school, 
though  she  had  never  been  to  school  but  one  half  day  in 
her  life.  By  her  own  efforts  she  had  made  good  progress 
in  reading  and  writing,  and  was  somewhat  acquainted 
with  arithmetic.  Great  things,  in  those  days,  were  not 
expected  of  teachers  in  the  new  settlements.  Her  uncle 
Chamberlin  kept  a  ferry  between  Newbury  and  Haver- 
hill,  and,  as  there  was  no  looking-glass  in  the  house,  when 
the  school  mistress  and  her  lady  cousins  dressed  for, 
meeting  on  pleasant  Summer  mornings,  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  go  down  to  the  ferry,  step  into  the  flat-bottomed 
boat,  and  look  over  on  the  water  to  see  that  their  toilets 


204 

were  properly  made.  The  smooth  surface  of  the  water 
furnished  a  splendid  mirror,  larger,  too,  than  the  rich,  even 
now,  can  show  in  any  of  their  parlors. 

When  Mr.  Hunkins  and  wife  commenced  house  keeping 
in  Newbury,  the  friendly  Indians  about  there  were  very 
plenty,  and  almost  every  night  several  of  them  would 
come  and  sleep  on  the  floor  of  their  only  room.  Mr. 
Hunkins  had  also  a  lot  of  land  in  Bradford,  then  called 
Moretown,  on  which  he  had  erected  a  temporary  habitation. 
The  house  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  Connecticut,  on  the 
extreme  margin  of  the  bow  now  comprising  Johnson's 
and  Hunkins'  meadows,  arid  he  lived  there  part  of  the 
time.  The  river  has  since  so  worn  away  the  Vermont 
side  that  the  foundation  of  his  chimney  may  now,  when 
the  water  is  low,  be  seen  near  the  New  Hampshire  shore. 

Several  men  of  Newbury,  and  the  vicinity,  on  account 
of  their  active  exertions  in  the  Revolutionary  cause,  had 
become  so  obnoxious  to  the  royalists  that  bounties  had 
been  offered  for  their  arrest  and  delivery  to  any  of  the 
British  commanders,  and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to 
seize  them.  Captain  Hunkins  was  one  who  had  been  thus 
honored.  On  this  account,  for  months  he  dared  not  sleep 
in  his  own  house,  but  lodged  in  any  shed  or  other  out 
door  place  where  he  supposed  he  could  with  safety ; 
changing  often  from  one  place  to  another,  to  elude  the 
vigilance  of  his  enemies.  Mrs.  Hunkins  said  that  many 
times  the  Tories  would  come  in  the  evening  and  look  in 
at  the  window,  to  see  if  her  husband  was  at  home,  and 
that  when  she  was  going  to  bed  with  her  children  she 
would  set  the  ax  near  her,  resolved  that  if  they  meddled 
with  her  she  would  use  it  upon  them  to  the  extent  of  her 
power.  The  situation  of  the  family  in  Moretown  at 
length  became  so  trying  that  they  thought  it  best  to  re 
turn  to  their  place  in  Newbury  for  a  while,  where  there 
were  more  inhabitants  in  whom  they  could  place  confi 
dence. 


-205 

But  even  there  they  were  not  long  at  ease.  For  some 
time,  either  before  or  after  this,  Capt.  Hunkins  was  away 
in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  his  wife  and  daughters 
had  to  work  on  the  farm,  as  well  as  in  the  house,  and  take 
care  of  themselves  as  best  they  could. 

In  the  autumn  of  1780,  when  the  Captain  was  at  home 
again,  a  scouting  party  came  in  saying  that  the  Indians 
and  Tories  were  coming  in  strong  force  to  destroy  the 
place,  and  would  be  there  before  morning.  There  was,  of 
course,  great  alarm,  and  immediate  efforts  were  made  to 
get  the  women  and  children  across  the  river  to  Haverhill. 
A  foggy  and  dark  evening  was  upon  them.  The  men 
were  resolved  to  stay  and  defend  the  place.  Their  only 
means  at  hand  for  taking  their  families  across  the  river 
were  dug  out  canoes,  and  but  few  of  them.  Capt.  Hun- 
kins  hastily  constructed  a  raft  of  boards,  and,  while  taking 
over  his  first  load  of  passengers,  his  wife,  with  an  infant 
son  in  her  arms,  was  left  with  others,  anxiously  waiting  for 
his  return.  At  the  second  passage  she  with  so  many 
others  had  come  on  to  the  raft  that  it  was  overloaded,  and 
before  they  could  get  over  was  found  to  be  in  the  utmost 
danger.  The  Captain  asked  the  man  assisting  him  if  he 
could  alone  bring  the  raft  to  shore,  if  it  were  lightened. 
He  thought  he  could.  "Then,  Sister  Eaton,"  said  he, 
"you  and  I  must  take  our  chance  in  the  river."  She  knew 
that  he  was  a  strong  swimmer,  and  trusted  in  him  for  help. 
The  case  was  urgent;  no  time  for  deliberation.  He 
plunged  into  the  water.  She,  like  a  brave  woman  as  she 
was,  quickly  followed  him.  Their  feet  would  touch  no 
bottom.  He,  acting  with  great  self-possession  and  ener 
gy,  succeeded  not  only  in  keeping  her  head  above  the 
water,  but  in  bringing  her  to  the  desired  shore,  where  the 
whole  party,  to  their  unutterable  joy,  soon  found  them 
selves  in  safety.  The  women  and  children  were  so  nu 
merous  as  to  throng  the  houses  of  their  Haverhill  friends. 
Beds^  compared  with  the  number  of  visitors,  were  few; 


206 

but  as  the  farmers  had  brought  their  corn  into  their  hous 
es,  to  be  husked  by  their  fire-sides,  fine  accommodations 
were  found  among  the  husks  on  the  floor.  Mrs.  Hunkins 
said  she  got  a  large  pumpkin  and  sat  on  it,  with  her  baby, 
for  awhile,  when  one  of  the  older  children  cried,  and, 
while  attending  to  that,  some  one  of  the  sleepers  acci 
dentally  kicked  her  seat  into  the  fire,  so  that  she  was 
obliged  during  the  rest  of  the  night  either  to  stand  or  to 
take  her  lot  among  the  rest  in  the  husks. 

The  enemy  were  really  coming,  as  had  been  expected, 
but  learning  that  the  men  of  Newbury  had  been  fore 
warned  and  were  ready  for  them,  went  off  in  some  other 
direction,  to  plunder,  burn,  seize  captives,  and  commit 
other  acts  of  violence  upon  the  patriotic  people  where- 
ever  they  could.  It  was  just  about  that  time  that  Royal- 
ton  was  devastated  by  the  Indians  and  tories,  and  numbers 
of  the  people  murdered  or  carried  into  captivity. 

The  day  after  the  fright  at  Newbury,  the  women  and  chil 
dren  were  brought  again  to  their  homes,  rejoicing  in  the 
happy  deliverance  which  they  and  their  brave  protectors 
had  experienced.  Capt.  Hunkins  and  wife  returned  to  their 
farm  in  Bradford,  and  there  long  lived  to  enjoy  peace  and 
competency  as  the  fruits  of  their  early  perils,  hardships, 
and  sufferings,  and  when  satisfied  with  length  of  days 
quietly  passed  away,  cheered  by  the  hopes  and  consola 
tions  of  the  gospel,  leaving  a  very  respectable  posterity, 
who  have  ever  cherished  their  memories  with  sincere  re 
spect  and  fillial  affection.  Mrs.  Hunkins,  who  was  univer 
sally  esteemed  a  pious,  strong-minded,  excellent  woman, 
died  Jan.  26,  1831,  at  the  age  -of  85  years.  She  was  the 
"Mother  in  Israel"  who  related  to  her  then  youthful  pas 
tor,  the  writer  of  this  article,  the  interesting  and  true 
story  subsequently  published  by  the  American  Tract  So 
ciety  under  the  title  "The  Worth  of  a  Dollar."  The  Dea 
con  M.  therein  referred  to,  was  Dea.  Murray,  of,  I  think, 
Orwell,  Vt. 


207 

Capt.  Robert  Hunldns  and  his  first  wife,  Phebe  Emer 
son,  had  one  son  and  two  daughters,  all  natives  of  Hamp- 
stead,  N.  H.,  namely : 

1.  John,  who  married  Mary  Norris,  of  Newbury,  and 
died  at  Fletcher,  Franklin  county,  Vt.,  Feb.,  1844. 

2.  Sarah,  who  married  Nicholas  Stevens,  of  Bradford, 
and  died  here  in  March,  1857. 

3.  Betsey,  who  married  Samuel  Miller,  of  this  town, 
and  died  at  Johnson,  in  Lamoille  county,  Vt.,  in  1839. 

Capt.  Huiikins  and  his  second  wife,  Lydia  Chamberlin, 
had  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  most  of  them  natives  of 
Newbury  ;  the  others  of  this  town,  namely  : 

1.  Moses,  born  in  Newbury,  married  Hannah  Seagel, 
of  that  town ;  removed  to  Harmon,  St.  Lawrence  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  in  1870  he  was  still  living. 

2.  Lydia,  born  in  Newbury,  married  Nathan  Atwell, 
and  died  at  Johnson  in  this  State,  in  January,  1846. 

3.  Robert  H.,  born  at  Newbury,  married  Hannah  Em 
erson,  of  Hampstead,   N.   H.,  and  died  at  New  Berlin, 
Wisconsin,  in  1853. 

4.  Phebe,  born  in  this  town,  died  here  in  September, 
1861,  at  the  age  of   eighty-four  years.     She   remained 
through  life  unmarried. 

5.  Asher,  born  in  Newbury,  Jan.,  1780,  married  Jane 
Emerson,  of  Boscawen,  N.  H.,  in  1805.     They  lived  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Bradford,  where  she  died  October  25, 
1827,  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years.     They  had  four  child 
ren.     Their  eldest  daughter,  Phebe  H.,  born  February, 
1807,  was  married  with  James  Abbott,  Esq.,  of  Newbury, 
April  18, 1865,  where  she  resided  for  a  few  years,  and  then, 
after  her  husband's  decease,  returned  to  her  native  place, 
and  resides  with  her  brother,  Asher  E.,  being  interested 
with  him  in  the  ancestral  estate.     Lydia,  her  sister,  born 
October  9,  1811,  died  December  14,  1838,  at  the  age  of 
twenty- seven  years.     The  next  child,  a  son,  died  in  his 
infancy.     Asher  Emerson  Hunkins,  born  January,  1823, 


208 

married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Rowe,  of  Bradford,  and  occupies 
the  good  old  farm  which  was  cultivated  by  his  grandfath 
er,  nearly  one  hundred  years  ago.  Where  the  venerable 
old  family  residence  of  Captain  Hunkins  long  stood,  a 
commodious  two-story  dwelling,  recently  erected,  and 
finished  in  modern  style,  now  appears,  and  the  natural 
scenery  around  has  lost  nothing  of  its  early  freshness  and 
beauty  by  the  lapse  of  years.  Mr.  Asher  E.  Hunkins  and 
wife  have,  at  this  date,  two  sons,  Thomas  A.,  born  October 
31, 1862,  and  James  Frank,  born  June,  1865.  Their  eldest 
son,  James  H.,  died  in  his  infancy. 

I  now  go  back  to  say  that  Mr.  Asher  Hunkins,  in  the 
year  1833  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Hannah  Mar- 
tin,  of  Newbury,  with  whom  he  happily  spent  the  evening 
of  his  life,  and  died  in  March,  1863,  in  the  eighty-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  His  worthy  widow,  in  great  feebleness, 
was  most  kindly  cared  for  by  Mr.  Asher  E.  and  his  good 
wife  till  she  died,  August  30,  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  In  the  principal  cemetery  at  Bradford,  their 
remains,  with  those  of  many  of  their  kindred,  await  the 
resurrection  unto  life. 

6.  Benjamin  Hunkins,  M.  D.,  the  next  son  of  Captain 
Robert,  was  born  at  Newbury,  in  January,  1782.     Having 
studied  his  profession,  he  married  Miss  Drusilla  S.  Everett, 
of  Lancaster,  N.  H.      Successfully   practiced   medicine 
there  for  many  years,  and  in  that  place   died  December, 
1868,  in  the  eighty- seventh  year  of  his  age. 

7.  James  Hunkins   was   born  in  Bradford,  in  June, 
1784;   he  was   an  industrious  farmer,  an  honest,  kind- 
hearted  man,  who  never  married,  but  remained  on  the  old 
home  place  in  quietness  and  contentment  until,  by  a  shock 
of  apoplexy,  in  November,  1855,  his  earthly  course  was 
suddenly  terminated  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his 
age. 

8.  Susan,  the  youngest  member  of  this  family,  born  in 
Bradford,  August,  1787,  married  Samuel  Chamberlin,  of 


209 

Troy,  Vt.,  and  lived  for  a  number  of  years  at  Stanstead, 
Canada  East,  where  she  died  in  July,  1870,  in  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  her  age. 

It  is  understood  that  the  several  members  of  this  large 
family  of  Captain  Hunkins,  who  married,  had  families  of 
their  own ;  but  of  their  children,  except  in  the  case  of 
Mr.  Asher  Hunkins,  I  have  had  no  definite  information ; 
and  indeed,  in  most  cases,  no  occasion  to  speak  particu 
larly.  So  far  as  we  have  ever  heard,  they  have  been  es 
timable  citizens  wherever  their  lot  in  life  has  been  cast. 
And  to  the  writer  it  is  a  very  grateful  realization  that 
Captain  Robert  Hunkins  and  his  second  wife,  and  their 
daughter  Phebe,  and  son  Asher,  with  both  of  his  wives, 
all  now  gone  to  their  final  rest,  and  Mrs.  Abbott,'  still  liv 
ing,  were  all  beloved  members  of  the  church  long  under 
his  pastoral  care,  and  gave  so  satisfactory  evidence  of 
being  true  members  of  the  household  of  Faith,  and  heirs 
of  the  Great  Salvation. 

THE  UNDERWOOD  FAMILY. 

John  Underwood,  Esq.,  was  born  at  Westford,  Mass., 
October  28,  1755.  His  wife,  Mary  Fassett,  was  born  in 
the  same  town,  or'  vicinity,  June  15,  1759.  They,  emi 
grated,  with  their  three  children,  John,  Benjamin  and 
Silas,  to  Mooretown,  Vt.,  now  Bradford,  in  the  year  1784. 
They,  of  course,  were  among  the  early  settlers.  There 
were  then  but  two  or  three  families  where  the  flourishing 
village  of  Bradford  now  is,  and,  indeed,  but  few  in  the 
town.  The  Underwoods  stopped,  for  a  short  while,  on 
the  top  of  what  has  long  been  called  Sharp's  Hill,  and 
then  took  up  their  permanent  abode  on  their  own  place, 
in  the  same  school  district,  quite  on  the  south  border  of 
the  town,  and  adjacent  to  Fairlee.  He  had  there  built  a 
log  cabin,  a  little  east  of  the  pleasant  house  in  which  he 
and  his  wife  subsequently  lived  and  died.  That  house 


210 

still  remains,  in  good  condition,  though  all  its  former  oc 
cupants  have  left  it.  Mr.  Underwood  was  an  industrious, 
hard  working  farmer,  and,  by  the  aid  of  his  sons,  when 
they  became  of  suitable  age,  succeeded  in  converting  his 
wilderness  place  into  fruitful  fields,  and,  assisted  by  his 
not  less  industrious  wife,  was  enabled  to  bring  up  their 
large  family  of  children  in  quiet  competency.  The  writer 
of  this  article  had  his  home  for  a  while,  as  a  boarder,  in 
that  good  family,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  his 
ministry  in  Bradford.  For  how  many  years  Esq.  Under 
wood  officiated  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  does  not  now  ap 
pear,  but  during  the  years  1790-1-2-3  he  sustained  the 
office  of  Town  Clerk.  In  his  religious  belief  and  charac 
ter  he  was  remarkably  decided.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  worthy  members  of  the  Congregational  church  in 
Bradford,  and  so  continued  unto  death.  She  died  October 
21,  1821,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  her  age.  In  the 
course  of  the  subsequent  year,  Esquire  Underwood  mar 
ried  Miss  Eupheme  Moore,  a  member  of  the  same  church, 
and  a  sister  of  Deacon  Daniel  Moore  and  John  Moore, 
Esq.,  his  friends  and  near  neighbors.  With  her  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  Both  have  long  since  passed 
away.  He  died  November  19,  1837,  in  the  eighty-third 
year  of  his  age. 

John  Underwood,  Esq.,  and  his  wife,  Mary  Fassett,  had 
nine  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  first  three  were  born 
in  Westford,  Mass.,  and  all  the  rest  in  this  town.  Their 
record  is  as  follows.  As  to  more  remote  posterity,  the 
information  regarding  those  who  were  never  inhabitants 
of  Bradford  will  be  less  specific  than  may  be  given  of 
those  who  were  born  and  have  lived  in  this  town. 

1.  John  Underwood,  Jr.,  born. July  10,  1779,  died  at 
Bradford,  October  22,  1851,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  by  occupation  both  a  house  carpenter 
and  a  farmer.  He  lived  and  died  on  the  same  farm  with 
his  father,  but  had  a  house  of  his  own.  His  wife  was 


211 

Anna  Burt,  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford,  and  died  Decem 
ber  16,  1853,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  her  age.  They 
had  two  daughters  and  one  son. 

Annaritta  married  John  B.  Corliss,  of  Bradford,  who  had 
a  son,  John  Corliss,  Jr. 

Laura  married  Ira  Howard,  of  Bradford.     One  son. 

John  married  Susannah  McKillips,  of  this  town.  He 
was  a  farmer,  on  the  old  place  occupied  by  his  father  and 
grandfather,  but  finally  sold  it  and  came  to  the  village  to 
live.  He  had,  by  his  first  marriage,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  John  Burt  married  Lydia  Woodward,  and 
built  a  nice  house  on  High  street,  in  Bradford  village, 
doing  most  of  the  work  himself,  being  by  occupation  a 
joiner.  Amasa  went  into  the  Western  country  to  live. 
Lucinda  died  at  her  father's  house,  unmarried.  Laura 
married  Andrew  Stuart,  of  Wisconsin,  and  went  with  him 
to  his  home  in  that  State.  Mr.  John  Underwood,  after 
the  decease  of  his  first  wife,  married  Miss  Sarah  Brickett, 
and  had  by  her  one  son,  David,  who  married  Augusta 
Woodbury,  and  remained  in  Bradford ;  and  one  daughter, 
Lizzie,  who  continued  to  live  for  years  with  her  father, 
after  her  excellent  mother's  decease.  Mr  John  Under 
wood  and  his  second  wife  were  members  of  Baptist  church 
at  Post  Mills,  but  worshipped  with  their  Congregational 
friends  in  Bradford.  She  died  February  6,  1871,  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven  years. 

2.  Benjamin  Underwood  was  born  February  3,  1782, 
and  died  at  Bradford  August  25,  1863,  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  his  age.  He  owned  and  occupied  a  farm 
adjoining  that  of  his  father,  on  the  west  side.  His  wife 
was  Lucy  Underwood,  a  remote  relative.  She  died  at 
Bradford,  April  25,  1855,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  her 
age.  They  we're  members  of  the  same  church  with  his 
parents,  and  had  six  children. 

Benjamin,  Jr.,  married  Mary  Ann  Newell,  of  Bradford. 


212 

They  had  three  children.  One,  a  son,  died  in  childhood. 
Wright  married  a  Miss  Waterbury,  and  lives  in  Wiscon 
sin.  His  sister,  Lucy  Ann,  married  Wm.  R.  Whitaker, 
attorney  at  law,  and  lives  in  New  Orleans. 

Levi  married  Diantha  Farr.  Their  children  were 
Amos,  Chester,  Benjamin,  who  died  for  his  country  in  the 
late  war,  Emma,  Nancy,  who  married  John  Corliss,  and 
Lydia. 

Mary  married  John  Ruyter,  of  Holland,  Vt. 

Lucy  A.  married  first  Joseph  Southworth.  They  had 
a  son,  Willie,  who  died  in  early  manhood.  His  father 
had  died  before  him.  Her  second  marriage  was  with 
Ezekiel  Johnson,  of  Bradford,  as  his  second  wife.  She 
lived  but  a  few  years  longer. 

Miss  Harriet,  a  dress  maker,  the  last  member  of  her 
father's  family,  was,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  remaining 
in  this  place  of  their  nativity. 

Nicholas,  the  youngest  son,  married,  and  in  a  few  years 
went  off  into  the  Western  country. 

3.  Silas,  the  third  son  of  John  and  Mary  F.  Under 
wood,  was  born  December  7,  1783.  He  was  by  occupa 
tion  a  farmer,  and  for  many  years  lived  in  Hardwick,  Vt., 
where  he  died  April  24,  1859,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year 
of  his  age.  His  wife  was  Lucy  W.  Leslie,  a  native  of 
Londonderry,  N.  H.  She  died  in  her  eighty -second  year. 
They  had  a  family  of  nine  sons  and  one  daughter.  Their 
first  two  sons,  William  Trotter  and  George  M.,  died  in 
their  childhood ;  but  Silas,  Alexander  L.,  George,  James 
G.,  Levi,  Lucy  Ann,  John  H.,  and  Flavius  Josephus,  lived 
to  marry  and  have  families  of  their  own.  Levi  Under 
wood,  of  this  family,  studied  the  profession  of  law ;  prac 
ticed  successfully  in  Burlington ;  was  a  man  of  extensive 
business  and  influence,  and  for  a  year  or  two  was  Lieu 
tenant  Governor  of  Vermont.  He  married  Cornelia  V.  N. 
Chamberlin,  of  Burlington,  and  had  a  family  of  two  sons 
and  four  daughters. 


213 

4.  Mary  Underwood,  the  only  daughter  in  this  first 
family  of  the  name  in  Bradford,  was  born  here  November 
2,  1785 ;  married  Sans  Niles,  Jr.,  a  nephew  of  Hon.  Na 
thaniel  Niles,  of  West  Fairlee.     He  was  by  occupation  a 
farmer,  and  there  they  lived,  and  died  in  good  old  age. 
They  left   one  son,  Benjamin,  who  occupies  the   place 
which  his  father  left.     He  has  been  twice  married.     Has 
one  daughter,  Nancy. 

5.  Russell  Underwood,  born  April  9,    1787,    was  by 
occupation  a  joiner.     For  many  years  he  pursued  his  call 
ing  in  Lyman,  N.  H. ;  then  removed  to  Lyndon,  Vt.,  and 
after  that  to  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days.     At  an  early  age  he  became  attached  to  the 
Methodist  persuasion  and  people,  and  so  continued  stead 
fast  through  life.     He  died  December  23, 1871,  in  the  85th 
year  of  his  age.     The  name  of  his  wife  was  Irena  Berk 
ley,  and  they  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  consisting  of 
two  sons  and  eight  daughters.     Four  of  the  daughters 
died  in  childhood.     The  two  sons,  Russell  and  Edward  F., 
and  their  sisters,  Mary  Jane,  Laura  N.,  Caroline,  and  Han 
nah  M.,  lived  to  marry,  and  have  families  of  their  own. 

6.  Levi  Underwood,  born  March  7,  1789,  went  to  Jaf- 
frey,  N.  H.,  when  quite  young,  and  spent  several  years. 
He  afterwards  resided  in  Goshen,  in  that  State,  engaged 
in  farming  business ;  has  finally  settled  down  in  St.  Johns- 
bury,  Yt.     He  married  a  Miss  Cutter,  of  Jaffrey,  N.  H. 

7.  Timothy  Underwood,  born  May  21,  1791,  was    a 
clothier  by  trade.     The  business  of  fulling  and  dressing 
woolen  cloth  of  domestic  manufacture,  was  in  his  early 
manhood,  one '  of   great  importance.     He   followed  that 
trade  first  at  Bradford,  and  afterwards  at   Colebrook,  or 
Stewartstown,  N.  H.     He  removed  finally  to  Hardwick, 
Vt.,  and  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in  agricultural 
pursuits;  and  died  there  Dec.  25,  1870,  in  the  80th  year 
of  his  age.     The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Betsey 
Moore ;  a  daughter  of  John  Moore,  Esq.,  of  Bradford,  and 


214 

a  member  of  the  same  church  with  her  parents.  She 
died  at  Hardwick,  a  little  more  than  two  years  before  the 
decease  of  her  husband.  They  had  a  family  of  six  sons, 
and  two  daughters,  viz:  Elizabeth,  Cyrus,  George,  Edwin, 
Hazen,  Hiram,  Julia,  and  Roswell.  Further  than  this, 
our  information  extends  not. 

8.  Reuben  Underwood,  born  May  24,  1793,  came  up 
an  industrious,  hard-working  farmer,  first  at  Bradford  for 
several  years ;  and  then  at  Craftsbury  in  the  same  State. 
Were  it  not  for  the  laborious  farmers,  all  other  people 
would   soon   find  themselves  in   a  deplorable  condition. 
Reuben  married  Betsey  Litch,  and  had  one  daughter,  who 
married  a  Mr.  Wiley. 

9.  Joseph  Underwood  was  born  Oct.  2,  1796.     He  re 
mained  at  home  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  till  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Putney,  Yt.,  as 
an  apprentice  to  the  jeweler's  business.     During  a  pow 
erful  revival  of  religion  there,  in  the  winter  of  1815-16, 
he  was  moved  to  consecrate  himself  heartily  to  the  Sav 
iour,  and  to  unite  with  a  Congregational  church  in  that 
place.     In  this  mighty  work  of  the  spirit  more  than  two- 
hundred  were  hopefully  converted.     At  Putney  his  at 
tention  was  seriously  turned  to  the  Gospel  ministry.    His 

•  desire  was  to  do,  thenceforth,  the  best  and  most  he  could 
for  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  June,  1817,  he  entered  the 
Academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  where  he  studied  for  three 
years.  After  this  he  spent  one  year  at  the  academy  in 
Chesterfield,  under  the  tuition  of  his  old  preceptor  at 
Meriden.  He  had  now  nearly  reached  the  age  of  25  years, 
and  being  destitute  of  pecuniary  means,  relinquished  the 
purpose  of  a  collegiate  course,  and  concluded  to  go  di 
rectly,  to  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Bangor,  where  he 
finished  his  preparatory  studies. 

On  his  way  to  Bangor  he  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the 
ocean,  and  at  Boston  stepped  on  board  of  a  sea-going  ves 
sel  early  in  the  morning.  The  voyage  was  for  a  few 


215 

hours  prosperous,  but  in  a  dense  fog,  at  high  tide,  their 
craft  ran,  before  noon,  on  rocks  near  the  shore,  and 
stuck  fast,  -and  at  low  tide  was  there  lying  high  out  of 
the  water,  in  a  piteous  condition.  There  they  had  to  re 
main  during  the  subsequent  night,  about  eight  miles  from 
Portland.  The  next  morning  a  train  of  wagons  came  out 
and  took  the  shipwrecked  company  into  the  city.  The 
Lord  being  merciful,  none  were  lost  or  injured.  The 
ocean  that  swallows  up  so  many  in  like  circumstances, 
spared  them  every  one. 

Mr.  Underwood  finished  his  course  at  Bangor  Semi 
nary  on  the  first  of  August,  1824.  His  first  settle 
ment  in  the  ministry  was  at  New  Sharon,  Franklin  County, 
Maine.  He  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Con 
gregational  church  there,  April  8,  1826,  and  continued  in 
that  position  for  about  six  j^ears.  There  was  during  his 
ministry  there  one  great  revival  of  religion,  extending 
all  over  the  town,  and  reaching  every  denomination.  It 
was  a  season  of  great  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.  Converts  were  counted  by  hundreds.  It  brought 
a  large  accession  to  the  church  under  his  care. 

To  young  ministers,  or  others  who,  in  trying  circum 
stances,  are  pressed  by  a  conviction  of  the  necessity  of 
doing  something  effectual  for  the  promotion  of  the  Tem 
perance  cause,  the  following  brief  account  of  Mr.  Under 
wood's  early  endeavors  and  remarkable  success  in  that 
direction  will  doubtless  be  not  only  acceptable,  but  very 
encouraging. 

When  he  went  to  New  Sharon  in  182J-,  the  inhabitants 
were  very  greatly  addicted  to  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors.  One  merchant  retailed  fifty  hogsheads  a  year, 
and  another  perhaps  not  quite  so  large  an  amount.  Al 
most  everybody  seemed  to  be  addicted  to  the  use  of  the 
drunkard's  drink,  in  some  or  other  of  its  various  modifi 
cations.  This  state  of  things  was  alarming,  yet  nobody 


216 

appeared  to  be  at  all  alarmed.  Leading  men  in  society 
were  not  going  to  deny  themselves  of  the  good  things 
of  this  life,  because  other  men  made  a  bad  use  of  them. 

Mr.  Underwood  for  a  while  knew  not  with  whom  to 
consult,  or  what  to  do ;  but  while  building  a  house  for 
himself  and  family,  in  1826,  accidentally  found  among  his 
workmen  a  thorough  going  temperance  man ;  a  Freewill 
Baptist  deacon,  he  was.  With  that  man  he  gladly  held 
consultations  in  regard  to  what  could  be  done  to  stay  the 
further  progress  of  intemperance  in  that  community.  The 
Deacon  feared  that  the  evil  had  become  so  general,  and  so 
deeply  rooted  in  the  habits  of  the  people,  that  very  little, 
if  anything,  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  reformation. 
The  minister  was  more  hopeful.  He  thought  the  case 
was  urgent,  and  that  they  must  make  an  effort.  They 
finally  agreed  to  adopt  for  themselves  a  total  abstinence 
pledge,  to  take  each  of  them  a  copy  of  it,  and  then  use 
their  best  endeavors  to  induce,  everybody  they  should 
meet  to  sign  it.  This  effort,  commenced  in  October,  was 
attended  with  so  much  success  that  the  next  Spring,  be 
fore  the  snow  was  gone,  a  meeting  of  the  subscribers  was 
held  at  a  school  house  some  two  miles  out  of  the  village, 
a  Temperance  Society  organized,  and  each  member  took 
a  copy  of  the  pledge  to  invite  others,  as  he  or  she  should 
have  opportunity,  to  subscribe  and  give  their  aid  to  the 
good  cause. 

By  these  means  the  society  prospered  wonderfully,  and 
became  exceedingly  popular.  Under  its  influence  a  Ju 
venile  Temperance  Society  sprang  up,  embracing  largely 
the  children  and  youth  of  the  town.  Also  a  Mercantile 
Temperance  Society  was  organized,  embracing  not  only 
the  liquor  dealers  of  New  Sharon,  but  all  other  liquor 
dealers  within  twenty  miles  of  it.  And  the  subsequent 
autumn  the  town,  without  a  dissenting  voice,  voted  not 
to  license  any  one  to  sell  intoxicating  liquor  within  their 
limits.  And  the  people  held  a  grand  jubilee  over  the 


217 

triumph  of  the  Temperance  cause.  "Behold  how  great  a 
matter  a  little  fire  kindleth  !  " 

In  regard  to  the  family  of  Rev.  Mr.  Underwood,  it  may 
here  be  remarked  that  on  the  17th  of  February,  1825,  he 
married  Miss  Lucy  Warner  Tuel,  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.> 
a  lady  entirely  worthy  of  his  choice,  who  now,  in  1873,  is 
still  living,  to  share  in  the  various  trials  and  consolations 
of  his  declining  age.  They  have  four  sons,  all  active 
business  men,  and  prospering  in  the  world.  The  oldest 
son,  and  three  of  the  daughters-in-law,  are  members  of  the 
church,  and  the  father  expresses  a  strong  hope  that  all 
will  yet  become  heirs  of  salvation. 

Mr.  Underwood  resigned  his  pastoral  charge  at  New 
Sharon,  and,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Maine  Missionary 
Society,  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the  newer 
settlements.  October  16,  1833,  he  was  installed  pastor 
of  a  little  church  in  Williamsburgh,  some  forty  miles 
north  of  Bangor.  There  was  no  meeting  house  in  the 
place,  and  I  remember  preaching,  on  the  occasion,  in  a 
new  and  commodious  barn,  belonging  to  Simon  Green- 
leaf,  Esq.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan 
Parsons,  formerly  of  Newburyport,  who,  while  we  were 
at  her  son's  house,  entertained  us  with  a  deeply  affecting 
account  of  the  last  day  and  night  of  the  Rev.  George 
Whitefield,  who  died  at  her  father's  house.  She,  then  in 
her  girlhood,  was  one  of  those  who  listened  to  the  last 
public  address  he  ever  made,  standing  on  the  stairs,  as 
he  was  retiring  to  his  chamber  to  lay  down  his  head  on 
the  pillow  of  death  that  night. 

Owing  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Underwood's  principal  sup 
porter,  which  occurred  within  a  few  months  of  his  set 
tlement  there,  and  the  consequent  failure  of  his  expected 
salary,  he  felt  obliged,  sooner  than  he  had  anticipated,  to 
ask  for  a  dismission ;  and,  having  obtained  it,  accepted  of 
a  call  to  go  to  Sebec,  a  neighboring  village,  on  the  bor 
ders  of  the  great  wilderness  in  that  section  of  Maine. 
15 


218 

In  that  new  field  he  drew  together  a  good  congregation, 
and  succeeded  in  gathering  and  organizing  a  church.  He 
also  preached  as  a  missionary  in  the  adjacent  towns  of 
Foxcroft,  Dover,  Atkinson,  Milo  and  Bradford.  After 
about  two  years  of  laborious  and  not  unsuccessful  mission 
ary  service  in  that  region,  his  first  beloved  people  gave 
him  so  strong  an  invitation  to  return  to  them  that,  by 
advice  of  his  ministerial  brethren,  he  concluded  to  do  so, 
thinking  it  not  improbable  that  he  might  spend  the  re 
mainder  of  his  life  at  New  Sharon.  But  after  about  five 
years  more  of  ministerial  labor  there,  a  severe  visitation 
of  chronic  bronchitis  compelled  him  to  seek  a  change  of 
climate  and  location,  with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of 
his  health;  and  so,  in  the  spring  of  1838,  he  left  his  be 
loved  people  of  New  Sharon,  for  the  second  and  last  time. 
At  Veteran,  in  .the  south-western  part  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  he  met  with  a  kind  reception,  and  accepted  of 
an  invitation  to  become,  and  was  installed,  pastor  of  the 
church  there.  He  preached  for  some  time  in  a  shabby 
old  school  house,  and  in  an  old  cloth- dressing  mill ;  but 
in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  succeeded  in  persuading 
the  people  to  build  a  respectable  house  for  public  wor 
ship.  The  humid  atmosphere  of  that  valley  was  found 
unfavorable  to  the  minister's  health,  but  he  labored  on 
for  about  five  years,  when  a  ruinous  financial  crash  in  the 
affairs  of  a  firm  largely  responsible  for  his  support  occur 
red  ;  the  new  meeting-house  was  attached,  shut  up,  and 
the  church  overwhelmed  with  discouragement.  The  pas 
tor,  again  dismissed,  determined  to  try  for  a  while  the 
business  of  a  farmer,  and,  having  rented  a  farm  for  one 
year,  in  a  high  and  salubrious  locality,  applied  himself, 
with  great  physical  improvement,  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  earth,  preaching,  however,  as  he  had  opportunity,  on 
the  Sabbaths.  The  result  was  complete  restoration  to 
health,  and  new  energy  to  engage  in  the  work  of  the  min 
istry. 


219 

In  the  meantime,  God  had  prepared  a  good  place  for 
him,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1844  he  was  invited  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Hardwick,  Yt. 
He  spent  the  subsequent  winter  there,  and  removed  his 
family  to  that  new  home  the  next  summer.  It  was  over 
a  year  from  the  time  of  his  coming  before  his  regular  in 
stallation  was  consummated.  After  about  five  years  of 
ministerial  labor,  a  blessed  revival  of  religion  occurred, 
and  many  precious  souls  were  hopefully  converted.  The 
church  was  greatly  strengthened  and  encouraged,  and  a 
good  influence  extended  around  on  every  side.  In  this 
good  work  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gallaher,  of  Missouri,  and  the 
Rev.  Joel  Fisk,  then  of  Irasburg,  afforded  important  as 
sistance.  In  1851  the  society  took  down  two  old  meet 
ing  houses,  and  built  a  new  one,  in  a  different  locality, 
which  gave  general  satisfaction,  and  healed  an  old  diffi 
culty  of  long  standing.  Thus  pleasantly  and  prosperous 
ly  the  good  minister  labored  on,  for  about  thirteen  years, 
in  Hardwick,  when,  being  in  feeble  health,  he  judged  it 
expedient  for  him  to  resign,  and  give  his  people  opportu 
nity  to  secure  for  themselves  a  new  and  more  vigorous 
laborer.  He  had  then  numbered  his  three  score  years 
and  ten,  and  his  people,  while  still  attached  to  him,  could 
not  refuse  his  request.  This  was  in  1867. 

While  at  Hardwick,  Rev.  Mr.  Underwood  represented 
that  town  in  the  State  Legislature  of  1856,  also  in  a 
special  session  of  February,  1857,  likewise  in  the  ses 
sions  of  1868  and  1869,  which  is  proof  of  the  general  es 
teem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow  townsmen. 

Alter  closing  his  labors  in  Hardwick,  he  preached  as 
a  stated  supply  for  longer  or  shorter  terms  in  Walden, 
Craftsbury,  Barnet,  East  St.  Johnsbury,  Walton,  Barton, 
Guildhall,  Waterford  and  Burke.  In  which  last  place  he 
finished  an  engagement  for  two  years,  far  advanced  in 
life,  and  in  poor  health ;  when  he  judged  it  to  be  not  in 
consistent  with  duty  to  retire  from  his  ministerial  labors, 


220 

and  spend  the  evening  of  his  days  at  his  own  beloved 
home,  among  his  tried  friends,  in  East  Hardwick,  doing 
good  in  a  more  private  way,  as  God  should  give  him 
means  and  opportunity.  There,  now  in  the  seventy- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  with  the  wife  of  his  youth  and 
faithful  companion  amid  the  various  trials  and  consola 
tions  through  which  they  have  been  called  to  pass,  they 
can  testify  that  goodness  and  mercy  have  followed  them 
all  the  days  of  their  life,  and  confidently  trust  that  in 
God's  own  house  will  be  their  home  forever. 

For  this  somewhat  particular  account  of  our  friend,  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Underwood,  I  make  no  apology ;  showing, 
as  it  does,  that  a  man  of  good  natural  ability,  though  not 
highly  educated,  and  though  in  many  respects  placed  at 
disadvantages,  if  strong  in  evangelical  faith,  with  a  heart 
glowing  with  love  to  God  and  man,  and  zealous  to  save 
souls,  may  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  though  destined 
to  labor  in  new  and  hard  fields,  with  but  slender  pecuni 
ary  support,  accomplish  an  amount  of  good  which  eterni 
ty  itself  will  never  Ibe  able  to  make  fully  known.  "  He 
that  winneth  souls  is  wise,  and  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  stars,  forever  and  ever."" 

Abel  Underwood,  the  youngest  member  of  this  family, 
was  born  April  8,  1799.  The  first  seventeen  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  at  the  old  homestead  in  Bradford.  In 
1817  he  went  to  Royalton,  Vt.,  and  attended  the  academy 
there,  under  the  tuition  oi  Preceptor  Tracy,  subsequently 
Rev.  Joseph  Tracy,  D.  D.,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  until  the 
Spring  of  1819,  when  he  went  to  the  academy  in  Thet- 
ford,  Vt.,  and  there,  under  the  tuition  of  Preceptor  Fitch, 
continued  till  August,  1820,  when  he  entered  Dartmouth 
College,  in  the  Freshman  class  of  that  year,  and  graduat 
ed  in  August,  1824.  In  a  poetic  article  written  merely 
for  his  own  private  gratification,  he  characterizes  in  Hu- 
dibrastic  style  each  of  his  twenty-seven  classmates  and 
himself,  in  a  truly  shrewd  and  amusing  way.  Take,  for 


221 

instance,  the  case  of  Rev.  Ephraim  W.  Clark,  missionary 
to  the  Hawaiian  Islands : 

"Clark,  Ephraim  "W.,  short-sighted,  and  with  specs  on. 

For  College  sins  has  nothing  to  reflect  on  ; 

Like  old  Marquett,  he's  gone  to  Honolulu, 

To  teach  the  heathen  :     Ephraiin  was  a  true  blue." 

Immediately  on  leaving  college  Mr.  Underwood  entered 
the  office  of  Gen.  Isaac  Fletcher,  of  Lyndon,  Yt.,  as  a  stu- 
dent-at-law;  and,  in  April,  1827,  was,  at  Danville,  where 
the  Courts  in  Caledonia  County  were  then  held,  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  went  directly  into  partnership  with  Gen. 
Fletcher,  where  he  continued  for  one  year,  when  they 
dissolved,  and  he  removed  to  Wells  River. 

While  in  practice  at  Lyndon,  Mr.  Underwood  married, 
July  12,  1827,  Miss  Emily  Rix,  of  Royalton,  Vt.,  who  con 
tinued  to  be  the  chief  comfort  of  his  life,  till  removed 
from  him  to  her  final  rest,  which  occurred  October  15, 1861. 

Mr.  Underwood  commenced  business  at  Wells  River, 
March,  1828,  and  there,  after  the  lapse  of  forty-five  years, 
was  still  abiding.  His  practice  has  mainly  been  in  Or 
ange  and  Caledonia  Counties.  He  was  State's  Attorney 
for  Orange  County,  for  the  years  1839  to  1841,  and  Unit 
ed  States  District  Attorney  during  the  administrations  of 
Presidents  Taylor  and  Fillmore.  He  was  elected  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Vermont,  in  1854;  and  continued 
in  that  office  until  the  autumn  of  1857,  when,  by  act  of 
the  Legislature,  the  Circuit  system  was  abolished,  and 
consequently  the  office  of  Circuit  Judge  ceased.  During 
the  construction  of  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad,  from 
1846  to  1850,  in  company  with  Judge  Adams,  of  Grand 
Isle,  and  Judge  Curtiss,  of  Westfield,  he  was  a  commis 
sioner  for  the  settlement  of  land  damages  attending  that 
great  enterprise.  He  was  for  several  years  President  of 
the  Bank  at  Wells  River,  and  for  the  years  1861  and  1862 
Representative  of  Newbury  in  the  Legislature  of  Ver 
mont. 


222 

Through  all  these  manifold  trusts,  responsibilities,  and 
important  business  transactions,  Judge  Underwood  has 
sustained  the  reputation  of  a  capable,  honest,  and  reliable 
man ;  and  in  his  old  age,  in  the  midst  of  competence,  if 
not  of  affluence,  enjoys  the  esteem  and  cordial  friendship 
of  his  fellow  citizens  around  him.  May  his  end  be  peace, 
and  his  eternity  blessed. 

Judge  Underwood  and  wife  had  one  son  and  four 
daughters.  The  son,  George  Eix,  a  promising  young 
man,  born  April  15,  1832,  went  South,  and  engaged  in 
commercial  business.  He  died  at  Gainesville,  Alabama, 
October  10,  1856,  in  the  27th  year  of  his  age.  His  re 
mains  were  brought  home  to  Wells  River,  Vt.,  for  inter 
ment. 

Elizabeth,  born  March  31,  1830,  married  Benjamin  B. 
Clark,  of  St.  Johnsbury.  Their  children  were  Carrie  E., 
Emily  L.,  Susan  E.,  Alice,  who  died  young,  and  George  B. 

Emma  R.  E.,  died  in  childhood. 

Mary  Ellen,  born  May  12, 1840,  married  Roscoe  Deane  ; 
had  one  daughter,  who  died  in  childhood.  Her  second 
husband  was  Dr.  Hickok,  of  Wells  River. 

Susan  A.,  born  September,  1842,  married  George  B. 
Damon,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  war  for  the  suppression 
of  the  rebellion.  They  had  two  daughters,  Emily  Jose 
phine  and  Ellen.  The  home  of  the  mother  and  her 
daughters  is  with  her  honored  father,  at  Wells  River. 

In  October,  1847,  the  nine  sons  and  the  one  daughter 
of  John  Underwood,  Esq.,  and  Mary  Fassett,  his  wife, 
with  their  several  consorts,  constituting  a  group  of  twen 
ty  persons,  all  in  good  health  and  spirits,  had  a  family 
gathering  in  the  old  homestead,  then  possessed  by  the 
eldest  brother.  The  parents  had  both  deceased  several 
years  before.  These  brothers  and  their  sister  had  not 
been  all  together  in  the  home  of  their  early  days  for  about 
forty  years  till  then.  On  this  occasion  they  came  not  only 
with  their  wedded  companions,  but  with  many  of  their 


223 

children  ;  and  the  meeting  was  in  several  respects  one  of 
rare  occurrence^.  Few  have  ever  seen  so  remarkable  and 
delightful  a  gathering  of  this  sort.  Judge  Underwood  in 
referring  to  it,  says,  "  After  a  separation  of  about  forty 
years,  there  we  were,  at  the  old  home,  where  was  l  the 
old  arm  chair,7  and  *  the  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron-bound 
bucket,  the  moss  covered  bucket  still  hung  in  the  well.' 
We  had  a  sumptuous  dinner  there,  at  the  same  old  pine 
table  where  we  sat  in  childhood  and  youth,  and  in  the 
same  order  as  then.  We  promenaded  the  fields  and  or 
chards  together,  and  talked  over  the  matters  and  incidents 
of  olden  times.  The  Rev.  Silas  McKeen,  on  whose  min 
istry  our  parents  constantly  attended,  and  who  once 
boarded  for  a  while  in  their  family,  was  present  with  us. 
The  occasion  was  one  of  much  interest  and  enjoyment. 
Then  we  separated  to  return  to  our  several  homes,  with 
out  expectation  of  ever  meeting  thus  again  on  earth." 
At  this  writing  more  than  half  of  that  original  number 
have  already  passed  away.  May  the  entire  group,  of  the 
departed  and  the  living,  be  so  happy  as  to  meet  their  pi 
ous  parents  at  last  in  a  home  incomparably  more  desirable 
and  blessed  than  they,  or  the  most  favored  of  mortals,  ever 
on  earth  enjoyed. 

THE  BLISS  FAMILY. 

A  G-enealogical  Chart  prepared  by  Neziah  Bliss,  Esq., 
of  Missouri,  traces  the  descent.of  this  family  from  Thomas 
Bliss,  of  England,  who  emigrated  to  America  and  settled 
at  Hartford,  Ct.,  about  the  year  1638-or-9;  and  who,  of 
course,  must  have  been  one  of  its  very  early  inhabitants, 
as  its  settlement  was  not  commenced  till  1635.  He  died 
there  in  1640;  leaving  four  sons  and  six  daughters. 

Thomas  Bliss,  Jr.,  son  of  the  last  named,  had  two  sons 
and  six  daughters,  all  natives  of  Saybrook,  Ct.,  with  the 
exception  of  the  two  youngest,  who  were  "born  at  Nor 
wich,  near  by. 


224 

Samuel  Bliss,  son  of  Thomas,  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

John  Bliss,  a  son  of  Samuel,  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  1710.  He  had  but  one  classmate,  Benjamin  Colton. 
They  both  became  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Rev.  John 
Bliss  was  the  first  minister  ordained  in  the  town  of  Heb 
ron,  Ct.  This -was  in  October,  1717.  He  was  then  a  Con- 
gregationalist.  "He  declared  for  Episcopacy  in  1734,  and 
having  laid  the  foundation  of  a  society,  a  house  of  wor 
ship  was  erected  the  next  year,  for  that  denomination ; 
and  Mr.  Bliss  preached  and  read  service  for  them  for  a 
number  of  years  afterwards."  (See  History  of  Connecti 
cut.)  He  died  in  1741,  at  the  age  of  51  years.  Rev. 
John  Bliss  had  been  twice  married  and  had  a  family  of 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom,  but  two, 
lived  to  marry.  One  of  the  sons,  Constant,  was  shot  in 
the  Old  French  war,  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  Aug.,  1746. 

Ellis  Bliss,  son  of  Rev.  John  Bliss,  and  his  second  wife, 
Hannah  Post,  was  twice  married  and  had  eight  sons  and 
seven  daughters.  One  of  his  sons,  Flavel,  was  drowned 
1778,  off  the  ship  Trumbull,  at  New  London,  while  guard 
ing  British  prisoners  there.  Another  son,  John,  was 
drowned  at  Bradford,  Vt.,  while  engaged  in  building  a 
bridge  across  Waits  River,  in  1803.  A  daughter,  Lydia, 
married  Andrew  B.  Peters,  of  Bradford.  The  youngest 
son,  John  Flavel,  born  June  28,  1788,  was  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  in  Western  New  York.  The  father  of  this 
large  family  remained  and  died  at  Hebron,  Ct. 

Ellis  Bliss,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Ellis  last  named,  and  his  first 
wife,  Tamar  Dewey,  was  born  at  Hebron,  April  9,  1761. 
He  served  for  9  months  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution ; 
married  Abigail  Taylor;  emigrated  to  Bradford,  Vt.,  and 
made,  as  a  farmer,  a  permanent  settlement  here,  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town,  somewhat  back  from  the  river. 
They  had  two  daughters  and  six  sons.  Four  of  the  sons 
died  in  childhood.  Their  eldest  daughter,  Abigail,  born 


225 

at  Hebron,  Ct.,  June  7,  1787,  married  Dr.  Lockhart 
Wright,  of  Bradford,  Feb.,  1798,  and  had  two  sons,  Ne- 
ziah  and  Hubbard,  and  one  daughter,  Abigail.  Mrs.  Dr. 
Wright  died  at  the  house  of  her  son,  Hubbard  Wright,  in 
Bradford,  July  3,  1855.  Lydia  Bliss,  born  at  Bradford, 
August  31,  1783,  married  Absalom  Baldwin,  May  25, 
1801,  and  died  Feb.  4,  1860.  See  Baldwin  Family.  Fla- 
vel  Bliss,  born  Dec.  11,  1791,  married  Hannah  Corliss, 
Dec.  15,  1812;  had  several  children,  and  died  Dec.  7, 
1864. 

Capt.  Ellis  Bliss,  son  of  the  above  named  Ellis  Bliss, 
Jr.,  born  July  25,  1787,  married  Mary  Worthen,  Dec.  4, 
1807,  owned  and  cultivated  a  good  farm  near  Bradford 
village.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  had  thirteen  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  their  infancy  ;  all  the  rest  lived  to  be  men 
and  women,  of  activity  and  usefulness  in  the  world.  The 
father  died  May  8,  1851,  in  the  54th  year  of  his  age;  and 
their  mother  March  2,  1873,  at  the  age  of  83  years.  Of 
this  family  we  give  the  following  brief  notices : 

1.  Ellis  Bliss,  born  May  10,  1810,  married  Lucy  Rich 
ards,  ol  Piermont,  N.  H.,  kept,  for  several  years,  a  hotel 
in  Bradford  village ;  was  a  man  of  activity  ;  engaged  in 
various  business  ;  and  died  Nov.  21, 1870,  in  the  61st  year 
of  his   age.     He  left  one    daughter,  Lucy,  the   wife   of 
Charles  H.  Harding. 

2.  George,  born  Oct.  17,  1811.      He  studied  for  the 
medical  profession  with  Dr.  John  Poole,  of  Bradford,  and 
became  established  in  business  in  Ohio,  where  he  married, 
and  at  this  date  has  two  sons,  Newton  and  Edmund,  and 
two  daughters,  Priscilla  and  Lovie  Jane. 

3.  Edmund  P.,  born  October  14,  1813,  remained  with 
his  parents  till  their  decease,  and  was  left  ~in  possession 
of  the  old  homestead. 

4.  Mary  A.,  born  August  6,  1817,  married  Jesse  John 
son,  of  Bradford  ;    by  occupation  a  farmer,  who  died  at 
Fairlee. 


226 

They  had  six  children.  Two  died  in  early  childhood. 
Two  daughters,  Martha  and  Sarah,  died  when  young  la 
dies  ;  and  Ellen  and  Mary,  at  this  date,  are  the  surviving 
comforts  of  their  often  and  sorely  bereaved  mother. 

5.  Abigail,  born  August  16, 1819,  married  Manly  Har- 
riman,  then  of  this  town.      They  had  two  sons,  George 
and  John,  still  living ;    and  two  daughters,  who  died  in 
early  womanhood ;  Abbie,  and  Mary,  the  wife  of  Chauncey 
Throop  Blodgett.     Mr.  Harriman  died  October  14,  1840 ; 
and  his  wife  May  13,  1857. 

6.  Susan,  born  December  23,  1821,  married  Ira  Clark. 
They  resided  some  time  at  Bradford,  then  at  Orford,N.  H., 
and  finally  removed  to  Illinois.     They  had  two  sons  and 
two  daughters. 

7.  Joseph  W.,  born  January  31,  1824;  married  Cyn 
thia   Paterson,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  who  died  March  26, 
1863,  at  the  age  of  twenty- seven  years. 

They  had  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Abbie,  who  still 
survive,  greatly  to  their  father's  comfort.  Mr.  J.  W. 
Bliss,  owning  a  very  pleasant  homestead,  next  south  of 
his  brother  Edmund's,  has  remained  in  Bradford,  and  been 
repeatedly  called  by  his  fellow  townsmen  to  fill  offices  of 
public  trust  and  importance.  He  represented  the  town 
in  the  State  Legislature  of  1874. 

8.  Neziah  W.,  born  January  31,  1826,   graduated  at 
the   University  of  Vermont ;    studied  the  profession   of 
law ;  removed  to  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  has  there  been 
engaged  not  only  in  the  business  of  his  profession,  but  in 
superintending  the  affairs  of  an  enterprising  and  success 
ful  mining  company.     He  has  the  reputation  of  a  man  of 
intelligence,  energy,  and  moral   integrity.      He  married 
Amanda  Jessie  Andrews,  December  1,  1852.     They  have 
had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.     Two  of  the  daugh 
ters  died  young.     The  rest  of  their  children  at  this  date 
are  still  living. 

9.  Lucinda,  born  February  14,  1828,  married  Lewis 


227 

R.  Morris,  a  very  respectable  attorney  at  law,  who  for  a 
time  edited  a  semi-monthly  paper  at  Bradford,  called  the 
Green  Mountain  Farmer,  but  has  since  for  several  years 
been  established  in  the  business  of  his  profession  at  West 
Lebanon,  N.  H. 

10.  Julia   M.,  born  May    14,   1830,  married   Robert 
Shum,  manufacturer  of  jewelry,  cutlery,  etc.,  at  Spring 
field,  Mass.     They  have  four  daughters,  Julia,  Lucy,  Nel 
lie,  and  Abbie. 

11.  Lauretta,  born  October  8,  1832,  married  Stephen 
Merrill,  then  of  Bradford,  but  since  settled  in  Illinois. 

The  following  memorial  of  Mrs.  Bliss,  the  mother  of 
this  large  family,  which  appeared  in  our  village  paper,  the 
National  Opinion,  soon  after  her  decease,  is  thought  wor 
thy  of  insertion  here. 

MRS.  MARY  W.  BLISS. 

When  one  who  has  lived  an  exemplary  and  useful  life, 
passes  finally  away,  it  seems  fit  that  some  more  accessi 
ble  and  satisfactory  mejnorial  than  the  inscription  on  the 
grave  stone  of  the  deceased,  should  be  preserved ;  some, 
at  least,  brief  obituary  notice,  which  may  contribute  to 
keep  the  dear  departed  in  perpetual  and  loving  remem 
brance. 

The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Bliss  was  Mary  Worthen ;  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  and  Mrs.  Susanna  Worthen.  She 
was  born  April  llth,  1790.  Her  parents  were  worthy 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church,  in  her  native 
place,  Bradford,  Vt.,  who  sought  to  train  up  their  children 
in  the  way  they  should  go. 

Mary,  when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  became  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Ellis  Bliss,  of  the  same  neighborhood;  then 
some  three  years  older  than  herself.  Surrounded  by  kin- 
dred  and  friends,  they  directly  commenced  housekeeping, 
and  remained  in  the  same  habitation  during  their  subse- 


228 

quent  lives.  Captain  Bliss  died  May  8th,  1.851,  in  the 
fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age;  but  she  continued  nearly 
twenty-two  years  longer,  thus  occupying  the  same/  com 
fortable  farm  house,  on  the  bank  of  Waits  River,  near  its 
confluence  with  the  Connecticut,  for  the  long  period  of 
sixty-five  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  had  thirteen  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  their  infancy  ;  all  the  rest  lived  to  marry  and  re 
move,  one  after  another,  to  their  several  new  homes,  with 
the  exception  of  one  of  the  sons,  who  permanently  re 
mained  with  his  mother,  and  at  her  decease  was  left  still 
at  the  old  homestead,  the  last  there  belonging  of  all  its 
former  numerous  and  happy  occupants. 

Mrs.  Bliss  left  at  her  decease  four  sons  and  five  daugh 
ters  ;  somewhat  widely  dispersed  through  this*  country  ; 
among  others,  Neziah,  a  graduate  of  Vermont  University, 
an  attorney  at  law,  in  Missouri,  and  George,  a  practicing 
physician,  in  Ohio.  He,  after  an  absence  of  thirty-six 
years,  being  informed  of  his  mother's  illness,  directly  tele 
graphed  that  he  had  set  out  for  home ;  but  the  news, 
which  but  a  few  days  before  would  have  thrilled  his 
mother's  heart  with  joy,  came  a  few  hours  too  late !  and 
when  the  Doctor,  with  his  two  daughters,  arrived,  her  re 
mains  had  been  for  two  da}7s  resting  in  the  silent  tomb. 
A  sad  disappointment  it  was  to  the  visitors ;  but  there 
were  kind  brothers  and  sisters,  with  other  relatives  and 
friends,  to  receive  them  most  cordially,  and  mingle  their 
tears  of  grief  and  gladness  with  theirs. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  say  here  that  Mr.  Amos  Worth- 
en,  State  Geologist  of  Illinois,  well  and  favorably  known 
for  his  voluminous  publications  in  that  interesting  depart 
ment  of  natural  science,  was  a  brother  of  the  deceased, 
and  a  native  of  Bradford. 

Mrs.  Bliss  left  thirty-two  grandchildren  and  eight  great 
grandchildren,  a  posterity  of  forty-nine  persons,  to  rise  up 
and  call  her  blessed.  Her  own  children,  at  least,  know 


229 

with  what  patience,  loving  kindness,  and  perseverance 
she  labored  through  all  their  lives  for  their  comfort ;  but  the 
intense  desire  and  consuming  anxiety  which  she  felt  for 
their  spiritual  and  everlasting  good,  they  can  never  fully 
appreciate.  She  willingly  wore  out  her  life  in  minister 
ing  to  others ;  in  doing  good  to  all,  as  she  had  opportuni 
ty.  Solomon's  description  of  the  virtuous  women,  in  the 
31st  chapter  of  Proverbs,  must  have  been  penned  with 
some  such  specimen  as  she  was  distinctly  in  view. 

But  she  did  not  depend  on  any  of  these  things  for  sal 
vation.  During  a  season  of  special  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  in  the  Summer  of  1831,  she  was 
moved  to  consecrate  herself  heartily  to  the  blessed  Sav 
iour,  and  to  trust  in  Him  alone  for  pardon,  sanctifi  cation 
arid  life  everlasting.  With  more  than  thirty  others,  she 
that  year  made  a  public  profession  of  her  faith  and  de 
termination  thenceforth  to  be  the  Lord's,  and  serve  Him, 
united  with  the  same  church  to  which  her  parents  belonged, 
and  so  continued  to  the  last.  She,  while  able  to  attend 
and  hear,  delighted  in  the  public  services  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  when  deprived  of  these  privileges  found  great  satis 
faction  in  her  Bible  and  hymn  book.  In  her  last  sickness 
she  was  sweetly  resigned  to  the  Divine  "will,  beautifully 
sustained  by  the  promises  and  consolations  of  the  Gospel ; 
and  at  the  close  of  her  last  Sabbath  on  earth,  March  2, 
1873,  at  the  age  of  eighty- three  years,  lacking  forty  days, 
passed  peacefully  away  to  her  final  rest  and  blessedness 
in  Heaven.  On  the  subsequent  Wednesday  her  funeral 
services  were  attended  at  the  church  where  she  had  long 
been  accustomed  to  worship,  and  her  precious  remains  laid 
down  to  repose  with  their  kindred  dead  until  "  all  that 
are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God 
and  come  forth."  God  grant  that  all  those  for  whose  sal 
vation  she  so  long  prayed  and  labored,  may  with  her  arise 
to  glory,  honor,  and  a  blessed  immortality.  S.  McK. 


230 


THE  WRIGHTS. 

Mr.  Hubbard  Wright,  though  a  native  of  Lyman,  N.  H., 
was  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Bradford,  Vt.,  and  will  long- 
be  retained  in  kind  and  respectful  remembrance  by  at 
least  the  present  generation  of  its  people.  His  father, 
Dr.  Lockhart  Wright,  when  a  young  man  came,  near  the 
close  of  the  last  century,  from  Northfield,  Mass.,  and  stud 
ied  medicine  with  Dr.  Arad  Stebbins,  who  was  then  the 
principal  practicing  physician  in  this  place. 

Dr.  Wright,  when  prepared  to  engage  in  the  business 
of  his  profession,  married  Abigail,  the  daughter  of  Ellis 
Bliss  and  Abigail  Taylor,-  his  wife.  She  was  a  sister  of 
Captain  Ellis  Bliss,  and  also  of  Miss  Lydia  Bliss,  who 
married  Captain  Absalom  Baldwin.  She  was  married  in 
the  seventeenth  year  ol  her  age,  the  Doctor  being  about 
ten  years  her  senior.  They  directly  removed  to  Lymari, 
N.  H.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  more  than  twenty 
years ;  when  the  parents  returned,  with  their  son  Hub- 
bard  and  only  daughter,  to  this  place,  in  the  year  1824, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  They  lived  for  a 
short  while  a  little  out  of  the  village.  Mr.  Wright  after 
wards  purchased  the  Dr.  Stebbins  place,  at  the  north  end 
of  the  village,  and  the  family  resided  there,  first  in  the 
old  Stebbins  mansion,  which  Mr.  Wright  rendered  more 
spacious  and  commodious,  to  be  used,  as  indeed  it  had 
before  been,  as  a  hotel.  It  was  styled  the  Vermont  House, 
and  so  continued  till  accidentally  consumed  by  fire,  in  the 
summer  of  1871.  It  had  passed  through  the  hands 'of 
several  proprietors,  and  was  then  owned  by  R.  W.  Cham- 
berlin. 

In  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Hubbard  Wright  built  a  fine 
brick  house,  a  little  north  of  the  hotel,  and  soon  after  took 
his  parents  there,  where  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  they 
both  died.  Dr.  Lockhart  Wright  died  January  31,  1851, 
in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age  ;  his  wife  died  July  3, 1855, 


231 

at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years  and  twenty-six  days.  Mr. 
Hubbard  Wright  had  the  supervision  of  his  good  farm, 
but  was  not  much  accustomed  to  hard  work.  He  was  for 
years  one  of  the  directors  of  the  first  Bradford  bank,  and 
there  he  used  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time.  At  the  call 
of  his  fellow  townsmen,  he  represented  them  in  the  State 
Legislature  during  its  sessions  of  the  years  1848,  '49,  '50, 
'55,  '62,  '63,  '64,  '65  and  '68.  He  was  also,  from  Bradford, 
a  member  of  the  State  Convention  for  the  amendment  of 
the  Constitution  of  Vermont  in  the  year  1870.  In  the 
prosperity  of  the  town  generally  he  manifested  an  inter 
est.  Though  he  had  not  been  a  regular  attendant  on 
public  worship,  when  the  subject  of  building  a  new  meet 
ing  house,  a  year  or  two  previous  to  his  decease,  for  the 
use  of  the  Congregational  church  and  society,  was  under 
discussion,  he  subscribed  liberally  in  furtherance  of  the 
design,  though  he  did  not  live  to  see  anything  effectual 
accomplished. 

Mr.  Wright  never  married.  He  had  in  care,  as  friends 
and  helpers,  a  young  girl,  Sarah,  who  remained  until  she 
married ;  and  a  young  man  who  had  been  brought  up  in 
his  brother's  family  in  New  York,  by  the  name  of  Philip 
Tally,  who  gradually  became  in  fact,  though  not  nominal 
ly,  steward  of  his  household,  attending  faithfully  to  its 
domestic  affairs,  and  to  the  management  of  the  farm.  Mr. 
Wright  was  an  honest  and  kind  neighbor.  A  very  quiet 
man,  he  was  ;  and,  having  a  competency,  he  did  not  wish 
to  be  much  disturbed  by  either  the  affairs  of  other  people 
or  his  own. 

'  Feeling,  probably,  rather  lonely  when  about  home,  and 
being  able  to  do  so,  he  had  long  been  accustomed  to  walk, 
both  forenoon  and  afternoon,  six  days  in  the  week,  to  the 
central  part  of  the  village,  and  sit  for  a  while,  not  in  any 
saloon  or  bar-room,  but  in  the  bank  or  some  store,  to  see 
and  hear  what  was  going  on,  and  to  have  a  little  conver 
sation  with  any  friends  whom  he  should  chance  to  meet. 


232 

The  time  at  length  came  when  he  could  go  no  more. 
He  then  remained  quietly  in  his  own  pleasant  dwelling. 
Appetite  and  strength,  and  all  his  physical  energies  were 
failing.  He  had  become  prematurely  old.  Doctors  did 
the  best  they  could  for  him,  but  his  infirmities  steadily 
progressed.  His  friend  and  helper,  Philip,  attended  to 
his  wants  faithfully  and  tenderly,  both  day  and  night ;  his 
sister  from  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Gaffield,  (the  same  who 
formerly  lived  in  his  family,)  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  with 
hearts  full  of  loving  kindness,  came  to  sympathize  with 
and  minister  unto  him.  On  the  22d  day  of  July,  1873,  at 
the  time  appointed  by  infinite  wisdom,  he  quietly  passed 
away,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  ten  months  and  seven 
teen  days.  '  •*  '• 

Mr.  Wright  is  understood  to  have  possessed  a  consid 
erable  estate,  and  to  have  just  left  it  to  the  disposal  of  his 
surviving  brother  and  sister,  without  expressing  any  wish 
in  regard  to  it. 

His  funeral  was  attended  at  his  late  residence,  on 
Thursday,  July  24th,  by  a  large  company  of  his  relatives 
and  neighbors,  and  the  fellow  townsmen  whom  he  had  so 
often  represented  in  a  legislative  capacity,  and  otherwise 
served.  The  religious  services  were  conducted  by  Rev. 
Dr.  McKeen,  who  had  long  before  attended  the  funerals 
of  the  parents  of  the  deceased ;  in  this  case  assisted  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Elliot,  acting  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church 
in  the  place ;  when  the  remains,  enclosed  in  a  beautiful 
casket,  were  conveyed  to  the  cemetery,  and  laid  down 
with  those  of  his  parents,  close  by  the  well  proportioned 
and  substantial  granite  obelisk  which  he  had,  years  be 
fore,  caused  to  be  erected,  with  his  name  and  the  date  of 
his  birth  engraved  upon  it. 

Mr.  Wright  left  one  brother,  about  four  years  older 
than  himself,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the  celebrated  en 
graver,  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  American  Bank 
Note  Company,  Neziah  Wright ;  a  man  well-known  and 


233 

highly  esteemed  in  financial  and  commercial  circles ;  who 
is  said  to  possess  a  sufficiency  of  wealth,  acquired  by  fair 
and  honorable  means.  The  amiable  and  excellent  wife  of 
Mr.  N.  Wright,  deceased  some  years  since,  leaving  no 
child  but  a  virtually  adopted  daughter,  Jane ;  a  worthy 
young  lady,  who  married  Mr.  Phineas  Lowndesbury,  of 
Kidgefield,  Ct.,  a  gentleman  worthy  of  such  a  wife. 

There  was  another  brother,  next  to  Neziah,  Ellis  by 
name,  who  went  many  years  ago  into  the  Western  coun 
try,  and  was  lost  sight  of. 

The  only  sister  of  these  brothers,  Miss  Abigail  Wright, 
born  at  Lyman,  N.  H.,  Sept.  6,  1813,  a  lady  possessing  a 
liberal  share  of  good  nature,  cheerfulness,  and  energy, 
has  remained  single ;  devoting  her  kindly  attentions  to 
her  parents  while  living  ;  and  subsequently  to  her  broth 
ers,  in  their  respective  homes ;  especially  when  so  great 
ly  needing  her  sisterly  assiduities. 

Some  years  since  she  visited  London,  and  other  places 
of  note  in  Europe ;  but  her  home  since  the  death  of  her 
parents  has  been  with  her  brother  in  New  York.  She 
was  present  at  the  funeral  of  her  brother  at  Bradford, 
and  followed  his  remains  to  their  final  resting  place. 


16 


234 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  McDuffees— James  Wilson,  the  Globe  Maker— David  Wilson, 
Esq. — and  Their  Families. 

THE   McDUFFEES. 

An  interesting  document  giving  the  genealogy  of  the 
McDuffees  has  been  kindly  put  into  my  hands,  and  duly 
examined.  It  is  understood  to  have  been  prepared  by 
John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  assisted  by  his  son  Charles,  in  whose 
elegant  handwriting  it  appears.  Both  the  father  and  the 
son  deceased  several  years  since.  It  does  not  consist 
with  my  present  object  to  follow  this  genealogical  account 
into  all  its  various  and  remote  ramifications ;  but  what 
I  propose  is  to  trace,  very  concisely,  the  direct  lineage  of 
the  family  who  settled  in  Bradford,  and  then  to  speak 
somewhat  more  fully  of  some  of  its  members  or  descend 
ants,  as  may  seem  expedient ;  but  especially  of  John  Mc 
Duffee,  above  named. 

In  regard  to  the  origin  and  name  of  this  respectable 
class  of  our  citizens,  I  will  quote  a  few  paragraphs  from 
the  old  manuscript  which  I  have  mentioned. 

"  The  McDuffee  family  are  undoubtedly  of  Scotch  de 
scent,  and  the  first  that  we  find  of  this  name  is  in  a  book 
styled  l  Memoirs  of  Scotland.' 

"  It  appears  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Duff  was  a  king 
or  chief  in  Scotland  a  short  time  previous  to  the  Chris 
tian  Era.  This  was  before  Christian  names  were  used, 
and  from  the  fact  that  in  Scotland  the  prefix  Mac,  abbre 
viated  Me,  was  used  to  indicate  son,  or  descendant,  we 
infer  that  the  children  of  Duff  were  called  McDuff.  In 
Irish  names  the  prefix  "0"  and  in  English  the  termination. 
"son,"  are  of  the  same  import. 

.  "  We  have  but  little  further  notice  of  the  name  till  we 
come  to  the  tragedy  of  McDuff  and  McBeth,  which  oc- 


235 

curred  about  A.  D.  1050,  and  is  particularly  described  in 
the  Memoirs  of  Scotland,  and  which  by  Shakespeare  is 
made  the  theme  of  his  thrilling  'Macbeth.' 

"  McDuff  was  l  Thane  of  Fife/  one  of  the  noblemen 
of  Scotland  during  the  reign  of  King  Duncan,  who  was 
assassinated,  and  for  a  short  time  superceded,  by  the 
treacherous  McBeth.  Under  the  leadership  of  the  bold 
and  loyal  McDuff,  the  usurper  was  dethroned  and  slain, 
and  Malcolm,  son  of  Duncan,  established  on  the  throne ; 
who,  in  consideration  of  McDuff 's  great  services,  gave 
him  a  tract  of  land  in  the  County  of  Fife,  and  added  fee 
to  his  name,  including  a  gift  from  the  crown ;  and  thus 
McDuff  became  McDuffee.  A  further  honor  bestowed 
was  a  coat  of  arms,  known  in  Scotch  heraldry  by  the  com 
bined  representation  of  a  lion,  rampant  with  a  sword  in 
his  paw,  guarding  the  crown  and  kingdom  of  Scotland ; 
three  hawks  under  the  lion's  feet,  representing  the  three 
witches  whose  sorceries  had  incited  McBeth  to  assassinate 
his  sovereign;  and  a  thorn  bush,  in  memory  of  Birnam 
Woods,  through  which,  and  bearing  green  bunches  from 
the  same,  McDuff  and  Malcolm,  with  their  English  allies, 
marched  against  the  rebel  in  his  stronghold  at  Dunsinane, 
who,  in  personal  encounter  with  McDuff,  was  slain. 

"  A  picture  of  this  coat  of  arms  was  -brought  to  this 
country  before  the  old  French  war,  by  William  McDuffee, 
and  subsequently  painted  on  the  back  of  the  sleigh  in 
which  Daniel  McDuffee  came  from  Londonderry  to  this 
town  in  February,  1796,  and  when  the  sleigh  was  worn 
out,  the  back,  on  which  was  the  coat  of  arms,  was  for  sev 
eral  years  preserved  by  his  daughter  Agnes,  Mrs.  James 
Wilson,  .but  finally  disappeared,  leaving  no  vestige  be 
hind."  Sic  transit  gloria  mundi!  So  passes  away  the 
glory  of  the  world. 

"  The  McDuffees  were  among  the  emigrants  from  Scot 
land  who  settled  in  the  North  of  Ireland  about  the  year 
1612.  John  McDuffee  and  Martha,  his  wife,  were  in  the 


236 

terrible  seige  of  the  city  of  Londonderry  in  1869,  where 
she  acquired  the  name  of  the  Matchless  Martha,  for  hav 
ing  carefully  kept  a  quantity  of  meal,  against  a  time 
of  great  distress  lor  food,  and  then  freely  distributing  it 
among  the  starving  people.  This  unexpected  relief  was 
received  with  gratitude  and  rejoicing  long  remembered. 
This  John  and  Martha  had  several  children,  and  among 
them  a  son  Daniel. 

Daniel  McDuffee,  son  of  the  above  named,  having 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  business  of  a  lockmaker, 
married  Ruth  Britton,  of  Colerain,  and  in  1720,  with  his 
wife  and  daughter  Martha,  then  about  two  years  old,  em 
igrated  to  America  ;  his  pastor,  Rev.  James  McGregore,  of 
whose  church  he  was  a  member,  with  some  sixteen  fami 
lies  of  his  parishioners,  having  gone  a  year  or  two  before, 
to  establish  themselves  there.  Daniel,  with  his  little 
family,  arrived  safely  in  Boston,  and  after  a  few  months 
residence  at  Andover,  in  the  Spring  of  1721  settled 
down  among  their  Scotch-Irish  friends  in  Nutfield,  subse 
quently  Londonderry,  N.  H.  These  parents  had  six  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Five  of  the  sons  were  in  the  army 
of  their  country  in  the  war  with  France ;  three  of  them 
in  the  decisive  battle  of  Quebec,  when  that  city  with  the 
French  provinces  in  North  America  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  British.  This  early  inhabitant  of  Londonderry 
died  there  in  1768,  and  his  wife  died  there  about  two 
years  after. 

Daniel  McDuffee,  Jr.,  a  son  of  the  above  named,  was 
born  in  Londonderry,  in  March,  1739.  He  was  by  occu 
pation  a  blacksmith,  but  owned  and  cultivated  the  farm  in 
that  town  on  which  his  parents  had  lived  and  died.  He 
married  Margaret,  daughter  of  James  Wilson,  the  first  of 
the  name  in  that  place.  She  had  a  brother  James,  who 
was  father  of  James,  the  globe  maker.  This  Daniel  Mc 
Duffee  emigrated  to  Bradford,  Vt,  in  the  month  of  Feb 
ruary,  1796,  and  settled  on  a  farm  at  the  north  end  of 


237 

what  is  now  called  the  Upper  Plain,  where  several  of  his 
posterity  are  still  living.  His  house  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  highway,  near  what  was  long  known  as  McDuffee's 
Ferry,  across  the  Connecticut  River.  The  writer  of  this 
article  remembers  him  well ;  remembers  once,  at  his  re 
quest,  preaching  in  his  quiet  cottage  a  discourse  designed 
for  his  special  benefit,  when,  by-reason  of  the  infirmities 
of  age,  he  was  unable  to  attend  public  worship.-  He  died 
in  Bradford,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  December 
15,  1824,  and  his  remains  were  laid  in  the  cemetery  close 
by.  His  wife  had  died  several  years  before — April  1, 
1805. 

Mary  McDuffee,  a  sister  of  Daniel,  last  named,  was  born 
in  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  married  Thomas  Highlands,  a 
farmer  of  that  town,  and  lived  there  till  his  death,  then 
came  to  Bradford  and  lived  some  fourteen  years  longer. 
She  had  an  interesting  family  of  eight  or  nine  children, 
and  died  May  26,  1821,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  From 
her  have  descended  our  worthy  citizens,  the  Highlands. 

Daniel  and  Margaret  W.  McDuffee,  of  whom  we  have 
been  speaking,  had  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  all  natives 
of  Londonderry.  Some  of  these  died  in  their  infancy. 
Of  those  who  lived  to  be  men  and  women,  and  who  were 
for  some  part  of  their  lives  inhabitants  of  Bradford,  the 
following  notices  may  be  given : 

1.  John  McDuffee  was  born  June  16,  1766.     Of  him 
and  his  family  more  hereafter. 

2.  Jennet,  born  February  1, 1768,  married  David  Bliss, 
went  with  her  husband  into  the  Western  country,  and 
died  somewhere  there. 

3.  Ruth,   born   November   5,  1769,   married   Samuel 
Drew,  remained  here  a  few  years  longer,  then  removed  to 
Stanstead,  Canada  East,  where  she  died.     They  had  eight 
children. 

4.  Samuel,  born   September  7,  1773,   married  Jane 
Wilson.     He  owned  and  cultivated  a  good  farm  in  Brad- 


238 

ford,  at  the  north  end  of  the  Upper  Plain,  and  died  there 
July  20,  1850,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 
He  left  one  daughter,  Annis,  at  this  writing  still  possess 
ing  the  old  homestead ;  and  one  son,  James,  whose  resi 
dence  was  quite  near  his  sister's ;  an  industrious  farmer 
and  good  man  he  was,  who  died,  strong  in  Christian  faith, 
March  22, 1873,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  leav 
ing  the  beloved  wife,  Mary  P.  Sawyer,  with  whom  he  had 
happily  lived  for  over  forty-four  years,  with  one  daughter 
and  four  sons,  with  their  wives  and  children,  all  in  close 
proximity,  to  love  and  sympathize  with  their  mother  and 
each  other,  while  passing  through  the  various  trials  and 
comforts  of  life.  Their  daughter  Alice  married  Alexan 
der  Young,  who  had  died,  leaving  her  in  widowhood  be 
fore  her  father's  decease.  The  eldest  son,  Ellis,  married 
Elizabeth  Sawyer.  Olivia,  Louisa  Annis,  Edward  Ever 
ett,  and  Sarah  Sawyer,  are  the  names  of  their  four  sur 
viving  children.  The  second  son  of  James  McDuffee, 
Horace  Everett,  married  Lucy  McDuffee,  a  remote  rela 
tive.  Their  children  are  Frank  and  Alice.  The  third 
son,  Homer  S.,  married  Adelaide  Robinson.  The  names 
of  their  children,  Frank  and  Alice.  The  fourth  son, 
James  Lewis  R.,  married  Carrie  Woodward,  and  they 
were  living  in  the  house  with  their  father  McDuffee  at 
the  time  of  his  decease. 

5.  James  McDuffee,  son  of  Daniel,  was  born  August 
21,  1775.     He  married  Susan  Sweet,  moved  to  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  died  there,  .leaving  five  children. 

6.  Mary,  born  August  27, 1777,  by  occupation  a  tailor- 
ess,  when  about  fifty  years  of  age  married  Peter  Frye,  of 
Windsor,  Canada  East;  lived  there  several  years,  and 
after  his  decease  returned  to  this  town,  and  spent  the  rem 
nant  of  her  days.     She  died  in  July,  1870,  in  the  ninety- 
third  year  of  her  age. 

7.  Margaret,  born  March  20,  1779,  married  a  Mr.  Lee, 


239 

of  Windsor,  Canada  East,  and  died  there,  leaving   one 
daughter. 

8.  Daniel,  born  March  7,  1781,  married  Martha  Bish 
op;  after  a  while  went  off,  forsaking  his  wife,  and  died, 
it  is  not  known  when   nor  where.      She  was  familiarly 
styled,  by  not  only  relatives  but  neighbors   generally, 
"Aunt  Patty;"  and    died    at  Bradford,  in  April,  1852. 
She  requested  her  pastor  to  preach  at  her  funeral  from 
the  text,  "  Rivers  of  waters  run  down  mine  eyes,  because 
they  keep  not  thy  law." 

9.  Agnes,  born  Februrary  28, 1783,  married  her  cousin, 
James  Wilson,  the  globe  maker.     In  her  ninety-second 
year,  March,  1874,  she  was  still  living  in  Bradford.     Of 
her  family  see  further  notice  under  the  title  Wilson. 

10.  Sarah,  born  March  7, 1786,  married  Manasseh  Wil- 
lard,  a  brother  of  Captain  Israel  Willard,  of  Bradford. 
They  had  six  children.     She  died  in  Massachusetts. 

11.  Annis,  born  April  22, 1790,  married  Samuel  Chap 
man,  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  April  19,  1821,  and  took  up  her 
residence  there. 

Three  sons  and  one  daughter  are  now  living. 
A  more  particular  account  of  John  McDuffee,  a  distin 
guished  member  of  this  family,  will  now  be  given, 

JOHN  McDUFFEE,  ESQ. 

He  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Margaret  (Wilson)  McDuf 
fee,  above  named;  their  second  child,  the  first,  who  was 
also  a  son,  having  died  in  infancy.  He  was  born  at  Lon 
donderry,  N.  H.,  June  16th,  1766.  When  old  enough  to 
assist  his  father,  till  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  worked 
with  him,  alternately  on  the  farm  and  in  his  blacksmith 
shop,  as  the  season  of  the  year  and  state  of  the  weather 
guided  them ;  in  his  father's  double  occupation.  For  some 
weeks,  or  months,  during  each  season  of  winter,  he  was 
allowed  to  attend  such  schools  as  they  had.  The  teach- 


240 

ers  were  paid  by  the  scholars  attending,  or  their  parents; 
and  the  books  were  few,  and  of  a  rather  low  order.  Dil- 
lingsworth's  Spelling  Book  was  more  used  than  any  other 
book.  Books  of  Arithmetic  and  Grammar  were  uncom 
mon.  Young  McDuffee,  however,  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  a  teacher  who  had  a  "Cyphering  Book,"  containing 
various  arithmetical  rules  and  problems,  and  who  was  able 
to  give  lessons  of  instruction  from  the  same.  This  was 
quite  to  the  boy's  taste ;  for  he  had,  as  his  subsequent 
life  proved,  a  real  genius  and  talent  for  the  mathematics. 
His  health,  a  great  part  of  the  time  between  fourteen  and 
seventeen  years  of  age,  was  poor ;  he  was  too  feeble  to 
work  much ;  and  so,  as  he  would  find  opportunity,  he 
studied  the  more.  In  his  seventeenth  year  he  had  ac 
quired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  Fisher's  Arithmetic ; 
and  had  commenced  the  study  of  surveying,  under  the 
instruction  of  Master  Clark,  who  had  the  reputation  of 
being  a  good  surveyor;  and  was  then  teaching  in  Lon 
donderry.  In  the  Spring  of  1784  he  taught  school  for  a 
few  weeks,  then  attended  the  academy  in  Andover  for  a 
while,  and  so  worked  along  as  best  he  could;  keeping  the 
art  of  surveying  continually  in  view,  with  the  use  of  the 
instruments  of  which  he  had  by  this  time  become  quite 
well  acquainted. 

Before  tracing  his  progress  any  further,  I  will  go  back, 
and  lor  the  amusement,  especially  of  my  youthful  read 
ers,  relate  an  incident  or  two  of  a  singular  character,  of 
which  his  manuscript  makes  mention,  as  occurring  in  his 
boyhood.  One  of  them  is  this :  "When  I  was  a  boy  I 
was  not  at  all  timid,  but  one  day,  while  passing  through 
the  lot,  I  thought  I  distinctly  saw  a  lad,  with  whom  I  was 
well  acquainted  and  had  been  very  intimate,  jump  behind 
a  log  ahead  of  me,  by  which  I  was  about  to  pass,  for  the 
purpose,  as  I  supposed,  of  frightening  me.  I  therefore 
quickened  my  steps,  designing  to  get  the  start  of  the 
other  boy,  and  running  up  to  the  log  leaned  over,  crying 


241 

out,  Boo  !  but  to  my  surprise  there  was  no  one  there." 
For  this  he  was  never  able  to  account,  for  he  was  sure  if 
there  had  been  a  boy  .there  he  could  not  possibly  have  got 
away.  This,  we  too  may  as  well  throw  into  our  heap  of 
unaccountables. 

Another  anecdote  is  that  when  he  was  quite  young  an 
Irishmen,  directly  from  the  old  country,  came  to  his  fath 
er's  house,  and,  being  taken  into  employment  on  the  farm, 
made  himself  very  useful.  He  seemed  for  a  while  con 
tented  and  happy.  But  one  day  he  was  very  sad,  and  said 
he  must  leave.  On  being  asked  what  was  the  trouble,  he 
could  not  be  induced  to  tell.  At  last  when  John,  for 
whom  he  had  taken  a  special  liking,  was  trying  to  get 
the  secret  out  of  him,  the  Irishman,  after  much  hesitation, 
said  :  "Oh  !  ye  live  so  near  the  chimney  of  hell  I  dare  not 
stay  1"  On  further  inquiry  it  was  found  that  this  son  of 
Erin,  having  been  out  on  a  low  piece  of  ground  near  the 
house  the  evening  before,  had,  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  seen  lightning-bugs  flying  about,  which  he  thought 
must  be  sparks  from  the  infernal  pit,  and  it  was  not  with 
out  much  difficulty  that  he  could  be  convinced  to  the  con 
trary,  even  when  John  had  caught  one  of  the  little  flash 
ers,  and  given  him  occular  demonstration  of  its  appear 
ance  and  manner  of  operation. 

We  will  now  resume  the  main  thread  of  our  narration. 
When  JohriMcDuffee  was  between  nineteen  and  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  taught  school  for  several  terms  in 
different  towns  in  the  then  province  of  Maine,  particular 
ly  in  Falmouth,  Saco,  and  Brunswick.  On  his  first  jour 
ney  into  that  part  of  the  country,  which  was  probably  in 
his  nineteenth  year,  he  very  narrowly  escaped  being  kill 
ed  by  wolves,  in  Saco  woods.  He  was  making  his  jour 
ney  on  foot,  and  towards  evening  one  day  inquired  at  a 
house  how  far  it  was  to  Saco  Falls,  and  on  being  told  five 
miles  pushed  on,  thinking  there  would  be  houses  by  the 
way,  as  there  had  been,  where  he  could  in  case  of  neces- 


242 

sity  stop  during  the  night.  He  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  he  found  himself  in  a  wilderness,  and  in  the  dark 
ness  of  night.  While  pursueing  his  solitary  way  he  heard 
at  a  distance  behind  him  a  noise  which  he  recognized  as 
the  bark  of  a  wolf,  which  he  was  convinced  must  have 
scented  his  track,  He  quickened  his  steps,  and,  being 
young  and  spry,  passed  rapidly  along.  Soon  the  howl  of 
the  first  wolf  was  answered  by  that  of  another.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  pack  of  them  in  pursuit  of  him  !  He  com 
menced  running,  but,  while  exerting  his  powers  to  the 
utmost  to  escape,  the  wolves  were  evidently  coming  near 
er  and  yet  nearer.  His  courage  and  strength  were  be 
ginning  to  fail,  when  he  discovered  a  light  ahead  of  him, 
and  pressed  on,  closely  pursued  by  the  monsters,  deter 
mined  still  to  seize  and  devour  him.  He  reached  the 
house ;  dashed  open  the  door ;  arid,  completely  exhausted, 
fell  headlong  and  senseless  upon  the  floor.  A  party  of 
young  people,  the  giris  having  had  what  they  called  a 
"wool  breaking"  in  the  afternoon,  were  there  that  eve 
ning  engaged  in  dancing,  and  were  greatly  surprised  to 
receive  so  dashing  a  visitant,  from  they  knew  not  what 
quarter.  But  on  going  to  the  door  they  at  once  learned 
what  was  the  trouble,  for  the  wolves  were  still  within  a 
few  rods  of  the  house.  On  recovering,  McDuffee  was  told 
that  but  a  few  days  before  a  man  had  gone  with  his  team 
into  the  same  woods,  and  not  returning  when  looked  for, 
search  was  made  for  him,  when  he  was  found  dead,  with 
several  dead  wolves  lying  around  him,  in  one  of  which 
his  axe  was  sticking.  The  appearance  was  that  while  at 
his  work  getting  wood,  a  pack  of  wolves  had  rushed  upon 
him,  when,  turning  his  back  to  a  tree  with  axe  in  hand,  he 
bravely  fought  them,  and  had  killed  several.  Then  strik 
ing  his  axe  between  the  shoulders  of  a  stout  and  strong 
one,  the  helve  had  been  jerked  from  his  hands,  leaving 
him  defenceless,  when  the  infuriated  survivors  of  the 
pack  quickly  overpowered  him ;  killed  him ;  and  drank 


243 

his  blood.  Having  thus  had  a  taste  of  human  blood,  they 
were  the  more  eager  and  determined  to  have  another 
feast  of  the  same  sort.  It  was  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that 
the  young  man  so  narrowly  escaped. 

Mr.  McDuftee  having  finished  his  teaching  in  Maine, 
returned  home,  and  came  the  ensuing  summer  to  Ver 
mont,  bringing  his  instruments  of  surveying  and  engin 
eering  with  him,  not  without  use  by  the  way.  In  June, 
1788,  he  made  his  first  visit  to  Moore  town,  which  by  act 
of  Legislature  the  following  autumn  received  its  present 
,name  of  Bradford.  The  direct  .object  of  his  visit  was  to 
assist,  as  he  had  been  requested,  in  the  settlement  of  the 
estate  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  McDuffee,  who  had  been 
drowned  in  Connecticut  River,  1781.  The  widow,  Eliza 
beth  (Rogers),  was  still  living  on  the  desirable  farm  to 
which  her  deceased  husband  had  become  entitled  as  one 
of  the  first  settlers.  He  was  pleased  with  the  farm,  and 
purchased  the  same  for  himself.  It  was  that  which  his 
father,  Daniel  McDuffee,  and  family,  subsequently  occu 
pied.  He  then  returned  to  Londonderry,  and  there  spent 
the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1789  he  came  back,  and 
took  up  his  residence  on  the  place  he  had  purchased,  and 
thence  forward,  to  the  distant  day  of  his  death,  became  a 
distinguished  citizen  of  Bradford. 

March  24,  1791,  Mr.  McDuiFee  purchased  of  Uriah 
Stone,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  the  ferry  subsequently  known 
as  McDuffee's  ferry,  a  noted  crossing  place  over  "  the 
great  river,"  till  superseded  by  bridges,  both  above  and 
below,  many  years  afterwards.  Soon  after  his  coming  to 
Bradford  he  built  a  small  house  near  the  ferry,  a  little 
north  of  the  one  his  uncle  had  occupied,  and  for  some  time 
kept  a  small  store  of  various  articles  wanted  by  the  early 
settlers.  For  a  few  years  his  sister  Ruth  kept  his  house, 
after  which  he  married  Martha  Dake,  a  native  of  London 
derry,  but  then  a  resident  of  Bradford ;  left  his  farm  near 
the  river  to  his  father,  and  moved  to  a  new  one,  on  the 


244 

eastern  slope  of  Wright's  mountain,  near  the  line  between 
Bradford  and  Newbury,  where  he  raised  up  a  large  fami 
ly,  and  spent  the  remnant  of  his  days.  Of  his  family  some 
further  information  will  presently  be  given. 

The  Legislature  of  Vermont,  at  its  session  in  1792, 
passed  an  act,  as  in  another  part  of  this  history  has  been 
stated,  constituting  Israel  Smith,  Alexander  Harvey,  and 
James  Whitelaw,  a  committee  to  make  a  survey  of  the 
Hazen  tract,  in  the  Western  part  of  Bradford,  dividing  it 
into  lots  convenient  for  settlement,  and,  on  certain  easy 
conditions,  securing  to  each  man  the  due  possession  of 
the  lot  on  which  he  had  been  making  improvement,  and 
the  like  advantage  to  others  who  might  wish  to  purchase 
lots  still  unappropriated.  The  work  of  making  this  survey 
was,  by  the  said  Whitelaw,  Surveyor  General  of  Ver 
mont,  committed  to  John  McDuffee,  who  no  doubt  per 
formed  it  faithfully.  He  was  for  many  years,  in  all  this 
region  accounted  a  distinguished  master  of  his  art,  and 
was  as  such  extensively  employed. 

When  the  project  of  building  a  railroad  from  Concord, 
N.  H.,  through  Plymouth,  Wentworth  and  Haverhill,  to 
Wells  River,  Vt.,  began  to  be  seriously  discussed,  and  it 
was  remembered  that  Mr.  McDuffee  had  long  before  sur 
veyed  through  at  least  the  most  formidable  part  of  that 
route,  with  a  view  to  a  canal,  and  found  it  quite  feasible, 
his  counsel  and  influence  were  earnestly  sought  for,  and, 
proving  highly  beneficial,  were,  it  is  said,  very  handsome 
ly  rewarded.  He  was  quite  a  zealous  politician,  as  well 
as  a  celebrated  surveyor ;  and  when  attending  a  railroad 
meeting  at  Concord,  and  called  upon  for  a  sentiment,  or 
toast,  as  it  was  called,  brought  out  the  applause  of  the 
gathering,  by  the  following  impromptu :  "  The  political 
compass  of  the  United  States,  with  the  representative 
needle,  equally  balanced  on  the  pivot  of  the  Union,  freely 
playing  over  the  four  cardinal  points — Freedom  of  speech, 


245 

freedom  of  the  press,  freedom  in  elections,  and  freedom 
in  religion." 

The  writer  of  this,  when  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
enjoyed  for  a  short  time  the  instruction  of  Mr.  McDufFee 
in  his  favorite  department,  not  so  much  with  a  view  to 
practice  as  to  mental  improvement  and  satisfaction,  and 
from  that  and  subsequent  acquaintance  became  quite  im 
pressed  by  a  conviction  of  his  mathematical  genius  and 
attainments.  It  is  encouraging  and  delightful  to  see  how 
some,  indeed  many,  young  men  of  decision  and  energy 
have,  almost  unassisted  by  relatives  or  pecuniary  resour 
ces,  pressed  their  way  through  manifold  difficulties  to 
honorable  distinction  in  the  various  departments  of  scien 
tific  and  useful  knowledge.  John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  after  a 
laborious  and  protracted  life,  died  at  his  mountain  home 
in  Bradford,  May  4,  1851,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his 
age. 

John  McDufFee,  Esq.,  as  has  been  said,  was  a  native  of 
Londonderry,  N.  EL,  born  June  16,  1766.  He  married 
Martha  Dake,  of  that  town,  some  time  in  1795.  They  had 
six  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  natives  of  Bradford,  Yt. 

Of  these  five,  namely,  Jennet,  Patty,  Martha,  James, 
and  Andrew  J.,  died  in  their  childhood.  Of  the  others, 
we  have  the  following  notices. 

1.  Margaret  McDuffee,  born  December  26,  1796,  mar 
ried  Mosely  Blake,  of  Bedford,  Mass.     She,  at  this  date, 
(1874)   is   living  in   widowhood,  with   her   sister,   Mrs. 
Bronsden,  at  Milton,  in  that  State. 

2.  John  McDuffee,  Jr.,  born  July  31,  1798,  lived  for 
some  time  at  Sing  Sing,  N.  Y.,  taught  schools  for  several 
years  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  last  heard  from  at  Akron, 
Ohio. 

3.  James  McDuffee,  born  October  17,  1806,  married 
and  had  three  children ;  settled  at  Eel  River,  Ind. 

4.  Samuel,  born  May  7, 1808,  married  Emily  Way,  of 
Lempster,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in  Ackworth.     They  have 


246 

six  children ;  namely,  Samuel  V.,  a  worthy  minister  of 
the  Congregational  order ;  George  W.,  Charles  0.,  Louisa 
E.,  and  Lucy,  wife  of  Horace  Everett  McDuffee,  of  Brad 
ford,  Yt.  Also  Martha. 

5.  William  McDuffee,  born  September  25,  1809,  mar 
ried  Laura  J.    Carter,  of  Newbury,  January  14,  1836. 
They  have  had  six  children.     Of  these,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  died  in  their  infancy.     Their  daughter  Louisa 
married  Clement  Worthen,  of  Enfield,  N.  H.     She,  with 
her  brother,  George  W.,  and  sister,  Etta  L.,  at  this  date 
is  still  living. 

6.  Louisa   McDuffee,   born   April   11,    1817,   married 
Lewis   Bronsdon,   of  Massachusetts,   February    6,  1844. 
They  have  three  children,  Louisa,  Lewis  and  Peleg. 

Mrs.  Martha  Dake,  the  first  wife  of  John  McDuffee, 
Esq.,  died  at  Bradford,  May  14,  1822,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine  years  and  two  days;  a  worthy  woman  of  the  Scotch 
Irish  race. 

Esquire  McDuffee  married  for  his  second  wife,  Novem 
ber  10,  1833, .Miss  Dolly  Greenleaf,  of  Bradford,  who  was 
born  there,  March  10,  1790.  They  had  six  children,  all 
sons.  Of  these  Daniel,  the  first,  died  in  the  eleventh 
year  of  his  age,  July  29,  1835;  and  Mansfield,  the  second, 
and  Henry,  the  fourth,  in  early  childhood. 

Charles  McDuffee,  the  third  son,  born  November  19, 
1827,  was  an  estimable  young  man,  of  ability  and  good 
scholarship ;  a  professional  land  surveyor,  and  trustworthy 
agent  in  the  settlement  of  estates  ;  and  died  at  the  family 
home  in  Bradford,  July  31,  1863,  in  the  thirty-sixth  year 
of  his  age. 

Henry  Clay  McDuffee,  born  October  3,  1831,  married 
Miss  Laura  Waterman,  of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  March  12, 
1863,  who  died  on  the  15th  of  the  subsequent  September. 
He  married  for  his  second  wife,  June  8,  1869,  Miss  Rosie 
M.  Bill,  a  daughter  of  Major  R.  M.  Bill,  of  West  Topsham, 
Vt.  Their  son  Ernest  B.  3vas  born  November  23, 1870.  Mr. 


247 

H.  C.  McDuffee  represented  the  town  of  Bradford  in  the 
State  Legislature  of  1870  and  1872,  and  has  held  several 
other  offices  of  honor  and  trust.  Was  High  Bailiff  of 
Orange  County  in  1872  and  1873;  one  of  the  Selectmen 
of  Bradford,  etc.,  and  has  been  much  engaged  in  buying 
and  selling  lands  in  the  Western  and  Southern  States,  as 
agent  for  parties  in  Boston  and  New  York ;  also  in  con 
nection  with  his  brothers,  Charles  and  Horace,  in  settling 
several  large  estates  in  New  Hampshire  and  Massachu 
setts. 

Horace  G-.  McDuffee,  the  youngest  member  of  this 
large  family,  born  December  22,  1833,  studied  surveying 
and  civil  engineering  in  the  scientific  department  of  Dart 
mouth  College,  and  graduated  there,  in  the  class  of  1861. 
He  has  made  his  permanent  home  in  Bradford,  and  been 
dilligently  occupied  in  land  surveying,  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  lumber,  and  as  a  real  estate  agent.  In  1867 
he  married  Mrs.  Ellen  P.  Smith,  widow  of  James  C.  Smith, 
of  Cairo,  Illinois.  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  named 
Mabel ;  and  a  pleasant  home  of  their  own  in  Bradford  vil 
lage. 

I  here  very  gratefully  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of 
Mr.  H.  G.  McDuffee  for  scientifically  ascertaining,  at  my 
request,  the  height  of  Wright's  Mountain,  as  stated  in 
another  chapter  of  this  History. 

John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  the  father  of  this  large  family, 
died  in  Bradford,  at  his  mountain  home,  May  4,  1851,  in 
the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  venerable  widow, 
who  had  been  spending  her  last  years  with  her  son,  Hen 
ry  C.,  and  wife,  at  the  village,  having  gone  out  to  her  old 
home  on  the  mountain,  where  her  sister,  the  Widow  Cor 
liss,  was  still  residing,  was  shortly  after  stricken  down  by 
apoplexy,  arid  died  there  May  7,  1874,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years  and  two  months,  lacking  three  days. 
Her  remains  repose  beside  those  of  her  husband,  in  the 
cemetery  near  the  village. 


248 

JAMES   WILSON,   THE   GLOBE  MAKER,  AND 
FAMILY. 

James  Wilson,  who  has  the  honor  of  being  the  maker 
of  the  first  pair  ot  Terrestrial  and  Celestial  Globes  ever 
made  in  America,  was  a  native  of  Londonderry,  N.  H. 
He  was  born  1763.  He  early  felt  a  strong  love  of  knowl 
edge,  and  gave  proof  of  talents  of  the  right  stamp  for  ac 
quiring  it ;  but  felt  constrained  by  circumstances  to  de 
vote  himself  to  the  laborious  occupation  of  a  farmer.  Up 
to  the  age  of  thirty-three  he  pursued  that  employment 
in  the  place  of  his  nativity ;  not,  however,  without  reading, 
observation  and  reflection.  His  inclination  and  genius 
turned  his  thoughts  and  studies  especially  to  Geography 
and  Astronomy,  with  the  means  of  their  illustration.  In 
the  year  1796  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Bradford,  in 
Vermont,  and  took  up  his  permanent  abode  on  a  farm 
which  he  purchased  there,  on  the  Connecticut  River, 
about  one  mile  North  of  the  village. 

When  about  thirty -six  years  of  age  Mr.  Wilson  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  and  examining  a  pair  of  English  globes, 
and  resolved  to  imitate  them.  He  commenced  with  balls 
turned  from  blocks  of  wood,  which  he  nicely  covered  with 
paper,  and  scientifically  finished  off  with  all  the  lines  and 
representations  which  belong  to  such  apparatus,  drawn 
upon  them. 

This  rude  beginning  was  followed  by  a  much  better 
method.  The  solid  balls  were  thickly  covered  with  layers 
of  paper  firmly  pasted  together.  This  shell  was  then  di 
vided  into  hemispheres,  which  being  removed  were  again 
united,  and  finished  with  due  regard  to  lightness,  strength 
and  smoothness.  But  how  were  these  spheres  to  be  cov 
ered  with  maps  equal  to  those  of  the  European  artists  ? 
Mr.  Wilson  procured  copper  plates  of  sufficient  size  for 
his  thirteen  inch  globes,  protracted  his  maps  on  them  in 
sections,  tapering  as  the  degrees  of  longitude  do  from  the 
equator  to  the  poles,  and  engraved  them  with  such  ad- 


249 

mirable  accuracy  of  design,  that  when  cut  apart  and  duly 
pasted  on  his  spheres,  the,  edges  with  their  lines,  and  even 
the  different  parts  of  the  finest  letters,  would  perfectly 
coincide  and  make  one  surface,  truly  representing  the 
earth,  or  celestial  constellations.  Though  in  the  use  of 
the  graver  he  was  self-taught,  and  this  species  of  design 
and  engraving  was  incomparably  more  difficult  than  plain 
work,  yet  by  his  .ingenuity  and  incredible  perseverance 
he  succeeded  admirably,  and  brought  forth  globes,  duly 
mounted,  and  in  all  respects  fitted  to  rival  in  the  market 
any  imported  from  foreign  countries.  In  the.  prosecution 
of  his  work  and  general  studies,  Mr.  Wilson  doubtless  de 
rived  important  assistance  from  the  Edinburgh  Encyclo 
pedia,  which  constituted  the  principal  part  of  his  library. 
He  published  the  first  edition  of  his  globes  in  1814 ; 
and  personally  presented  to  the  people  of  Boston  the  first 
American  globes  which  were  seen  there.  Quite  a  sensa 
tion  was  produced  among  the  literati  by  such  a  novelty, 
and  when  earnest  inquiry  was  made,  "  Who  is  this  James 
Wilson  ? — where  is  he  ?  "  he  has  been  heard  to  say  that 
he  felt  exceedingly  mortified  in  consideration  of  his  rus 
tic  garb  and  manners,  when  obliged  to  come  out  and  con 
fess  himself.  But  the  gentlemen  in  question  knew  how 
to  prize  his  talents,  and  were  proud  of  the  honor  which  he 
had  done  to  his  country.  They  encouraged  him  to  prose 
cute  his  undertaking,  by  the  assurance  that  he  should 
find  there  a  ready  market  for  all  the  globes  he  could  fur 
nish.  For  a  time  he  pursued  his  vocation  on  a  small 
scale  at  Bradford,  Vt.,  arid  also  at  Londonderry,  N.  H., 
but  finally,  in  company  with  his  sons,  who  inherited  a 
good  share  of  their  father's  taste  and  ingenuity,  he  es 
tablished,  about  the  year  1815,  a  large  manufactory  in 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1826  brought  out  from  fresh  en 
graving  a  still  more  perfect  and  splendid  edition.  These 
globes,  consisting  of  three  different  sizes,  so  elegantly  and 
scientifically  constructed,  are  an  honor  not  only  to  their 
17 


•  250 

makerSj  but  to  the  American  people.  That  manufactory 
at  Albany  was  sustained  for  several  years,  though  the 
young  artists  who  commenced  it  went  down  to  early 
graves,  and  their  aged  lather  not  long  after  wholly  with 
drew  himself  from  the  business. 

Mr.  Wilson,  with  a  remnant  of  his  once  flourishing  fam 
ily  still  with  him,  lived  to  old  age,  retaining  his  faculties 
remarkably.  His  love  for  geography,  astronomy,  and  the 
mechanical  arts  connected  with  them,  remaining  unabat 
ed.  When  past  eighty  years  of  age  he  contrived,  and 
with  his  own  hands  constructed,  a  machine  which  finely 
illustrates  the  daily  and  yearly  revolutions  of  the  earth ; 
the  cause  of  the  successive  seasons ;  and  the  sun's  place, 
for  every  day  of  the  year,  in  the  ecliptic.  These  move 
ments  are  produced  by  turning  a  crank,  which  causes  the 
earth  to  revolve  about  the  sun  in  the  plane  of  the  ecliptic, 
always  retaining  its  true  relative  position.  The  machine 
is  also  furnished  with  the  means  of  causing  the  student 
to  see  and  understand  precisely  what  is  meant  by  the 
Precession  of  the  Equinoxes ;  a  difficult  thing,  without 
some  such  means  of  illustration. 

The  large  copper  plate,  on  which  are  printed  the 
months  of  the  year,  with  their  days,  and  the  correspond 
ing  signs  of  the  zodiac  with  their  degrees,  was  engraved 
by  Mr.  Wilson  after  he  was  eighty -three  years  of  age  ! 
Can  a  similar  instance  anywhere  be  found  ?  A  specimen 
of  this  curious  apparatus  may  be  seen  at  Thetford  Acade 
my,  at  Bradford  Academy,  or  at  Mr.  Wilson's  late  resi 
dence,  which  last  is  an  improvement  on  the  others.  Every 
academy  ought  to  have  something  of  the  sort,  and  the 
aged  and  very  ingenious  maker  deserved  to  realize  some 
profit  from  so  scientific  and  useful  a  contrivance.  The 
machine,  for  the  want  of  a  more  definite  name,  is  called 
Wttson's  Planetarium,  the  latter  term  being  used  in  a  re 
stricted  sense.  If  this  Planetarium  should  be  thought 
clumsy,  still  it  finely  illustrates  what  it  was  intended  to, 


251 

and  it  may  yet  be  reduced  to  any  degree  of  elegance.  It 
would  in  any  family  be  an  appropriate  accompaniment  to 
Wilson's  globes. 

Mr.  Wilson  died  at  his  home  on  the  Upper  Plain,  in 
Bradford,  March  26,  1855,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years 
and  twelve  days. 

THE  FAMILY  OF  JAMES  WILSON,  ESQ. 

James  Wilson,  when  about  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
married  Molly  Highland,  of  his  native  place,  Londonderry, 
N.  H. 

They  had  one  son,  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  who  became  Cap 
tain  of  a  merchant  ship  plying  between  this  country  and 
Europe.  .On  his  third  voyage,  in  1812,  which  was  for 
France,  having  run  the  British  blockade  at  Norfolk,  Va., 
his  vessel,  with  himself  and  crew,  was  lost  at  sea.  He  left 
a  widow  and  one  child. 

The  first  wife  of  James  Wilson,  the  globe  maker,  died 
young,  when  he,  in  due  season,  married  Sarah  Donalson, 
by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  of  whom  three  died  young. 
The  rest  lived  to  be  men  and  women.  Of  these,  though 
much  more  might  be  said,  the  following  brief  notices  must 
suffice : 

Sally,  the  eldest  daughter,  married  Stephen  Tabor,  of 
Bradford.  She  left  at  her  decease  a  son,  Dr.  S.  J.  W. 
Tabor,  now  auditor  in  some  department  at  Washington. 

Samuel  married  Jane  McBride,  and  died  in  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  had  for  years  been  engaged  in  the  manu 
facture  of  globes.  They  had  four  children.  Their  son 
James  W.  was  educated  at  West  Point,  and  has  for  years 
been  employed  in  the  United  States  service  as  a  Civil 
Engineer. 

John,  who  was  considered  by  the  family  as  particularly 
talented,  married  Rebecca  Mandel;  was  occupied  with 
two  of  his  brothers  in  the  globe  business ;  and  died  at 
Albany,  leaving  his  widow  with  six  children.  Cyrus 


254 

DAVID   WILSON,  ESQ.,  AND   FAMILY. 

David  Wilson  was  of  the  Scotch-Irish  stock,  born  in 
Londonderry,  N.  JEL,  December  11, 1768.     He  was  a  broth 
er  of  James  Wilson,  the  first  American  globe  maker,  who 
also  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age,  and  died  in  this 
town.     In  youth  he  enjoyed  but  very  limited  advantages 
for  education ;  but  during  his  long  life  so  well  improved 
his  fragments  of  time  that  he  accumulated  a  good  store 
of  useful  knowledge.     On  leaving  the  place  of  his  nativ 
ity,  he  resided  for  a  while  in  Eockingham,  and  then  in 
Londonderry,  Vt.,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Bradford. 
He  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Doak,  with  a  child  in  her  arms, 
came  up  the  Connecticut  River  in  company  with  a  gang 
of  lumbermen  returning  from  market,  whom  they  found 
to  be  rough  and  unpleasant  associates.     Their  voyage, 
in  an  open  boat,  propelled  by  oars  and  pike-poles,  was  te 
dious  and  uncomfortable.     When  they  came  opposite  to 
the  South  end  of  Fairlee  Mountain  they  were  overtaken 
by  a  tremenduous  shower.     The  boatmen  pushed  their 
craft  to  the  shore,  and,  without  fastening  it  properly,  sprang 
off,  and  ran  away.     Before  Mr.  Wilson  could  get  his  wife 
and  child  out,  the  boat  drifted  back  into  the  channel,  and 
was  carried  down  the  river  some  distance,  to  the  peril  of 
their  lives.    They  arrived  in  Bradford  some  time  in  June, 
1795,  and  settled  down  on  a  lot  in  the  wilderness,  near 
Wright's  Mountain,  a  little  to  the  North-west  of  the  sum 
mit,  where  he  resided  for  nearly  sixty-eight  years,  till  the 
time  of  his  death.     The  first  sheep  he  had  he  brought  from 
Newbury,  and  it  had  become  nearly  dark  before  he  got 
over  the  mountain  with  them.     The  wolves  howled  around 
him,  and  threatened  to  seize  on  his  little  flock.     On  reach 
ing  home  he  rejoiced  that  his-  sheep  were  safe.     Not  so 
safe,  however,  as  he  supposed.     Before  morning  he  heard 
an  uproar  which  convinced  him   that  the   wolves  were 
among  his  flock.     They  had  leaped  into  the  enclosure,  and 


255 

were  seizing  and  devouring  their  prey.  He  sprang  up 
and  went  resolutely  at  them,  when  they  fled,  leaving  three 
of  his  flock  mangled  and  dead,  to  him  at  that  time  a  seri 
ous  misfortune.  One  year,  a  little  before  wheat  harvest, 
he  thought  his  neighbor's  hogs  must  have  been  among 
his  wheat,  he  found  so  much  of  it  trampled  down,  and  de 
termined  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  them.  Not  many 
days  after,  seeing  the  tops  of  the  tall  grain  violently 
agitated  he  was  convinced  the  swine  were  at  their  work, 
and  ran  to  drive  them  out,  when  suddenly  a  bear  sprang 
up  before  him !  then  another !  then  another !  three  of 
those  black  monsters  ready  to  seize  on  him  as  their  prey. 
He  instinctively  sprang  upon  a  stump,  uttering  a  tremen- 
duous  shout.  The  bears,  unaccustomed  to  such  a  start 
ling  outcry,  terror  stricken  fled  away,  leaving  the  rightful 
owner  in  possession  of  his  field. 

Mr.  Wilson  early  turned  his  attention  to  fruit  growing, 
and  planted  an  orchard  as  soon  as  he  could  get  land 
enough  cleared  for  that  purpose.  He  planted  the  largest 
orchard  in  this  part  of  the -State,  chiefly  of  grafted  trees, 
from  which  he  some  years  saw  gathered  from  one  hun 
dred  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  barrels  of  selected 
apples.  He  raised  many  trees  for  sale,  and  did  much  to 
promote  fruit  growing  in  this  and  the  neighboring  towns. 
With  him  originated  the  apple  known  in  this  vicinity  as 
the  "  Wilson  Russett."  Mr.  Wilson  served'the  town  of 
Bradford  as  one  of  the  Selectmen,  gratuitously,  for  six  or 
seven  years,  and  officiated  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
some  fifteen  years,  during  which  time  he  transacted  a 
great  amount  of  business.  He  was  remarkable  for  his 
constant  attendance  on  Freemen's  meetings ;  after  the 
lapse  of  nearly  sixty  years  he  was  still  there,  always  vot 
ing  on  what  is  now  called  the  Eepublican  side.  He  was 
strongly  opposed  to  slavery,  and  to  the  attempt  of  its 
supporters  to  overthrow  the  Federal  Government.  The 
fire  of  patriotism  kindled  in  his  youthful  mind  in  the  days 


254 

DAVID   WILSON,  ESQ.,  AND   FAMILY. 

David  Wilson  was  of  the  Scotch-Irish  stock,  born  in 
Londonderry,  N.  H.,  December  11, 1768.  He  was  a  broth 
er  of  James  Wilson,  the  first  American  globe  maker,  who 
also  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age,  and  died  in  this 
town.  In  youth  he  enjoyed  but  very  limited  advantages 
for  education ;  but  during  his  long  life  so  well  improved 
his  fragments  of  time  that  he  accumulated  a  good  store 
of  useful  knowledge.  On  leaving  the  place  of  his  nativ 
ity,  he  resided  for  a  while  in  Buckingham,  and  then  in 
Londonderry,  Vt.,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Bradford. 
He  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Doak,  with  a  child  in  her  arms, 
came  up  the  Connecticut  River  in  company  with  a  gang 
of  lumbermen  returning  from  market,  whom  they  found 
to  be  rough  and  unpleasant  associates.  Their  voyage, 
in  an  open  boat,  propelled  by  oars  and  pike-poles,  was  te 
dious  and  uncomfortable.  When  they  came  opposite  to 
the  South  end  of  Fairlee  Mountain  they  were  overtaken 
by  a  tremenduous  shower.  The  boatmen  pushed  their 
craft  to  the  shore,  and,  without  fastening  it  properly,  sprang 
off,  and  ran  away.  Before  Mr.  Wilson  could  get  his  wife 
and  child  out,  the  boat  drifted  back  into  the  channel,  and 
was  carried  down  the  river  some  distance,  to  the  peril  of 
their  lives.  They  arrived  in  Bradford  some  time  in  June, 
1795,  and  settled  down  on  a  lot  in  the  wilderness,  near 
Wright's  Mountain,  a  little  to  the  North-west  of  the  sum 
mit,  where  he  resided  for  nearly  sixty-eight  years,  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  first  sheep  he  had  he  brought  from 
Newbury,  and  it  had  become  nearly  dark  before  he  got 
over  the  mountain  with  them.  The  wolves  howled  around 
him,  and  threatened  to  seize  on  his  little  flock.  On  reach 
ing  home  he  rejoiced  that  his-  sheep  were  safe.  Not  so 
safe,  however,  as  he  supposed.  Before  morning  he  heard 
an  uproar  which  convinced  him  that  the  wolves  were 
among  his  flock.  They  had  leaped  into  the  enclosure,  and 


255 

were  seizing  and  devouring  their  prey.  He  sprang  up 
and  went  resolutely  at  them,  when  they  fled,  leaving  three 
of  his  flock  mangled  and  dead,  to  him  at  that  time  a  seri 
ous  misfortune.  One  year,  a  little  before  wheat  harvest, 
he  thought  his  neighbor's  hogs  must  have  been  among 
his  wheat,  he  found  so  much  of  it  trampled  down,  and  de 
termined  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  them.  Not  many 
days  after,  seeing  the  tops  of  the  tall  grain  violently 
agitated  he  was  convinced  the  swine  were  at  their  work, 
and  ran  to  drive  them  out,  when  suddenly  a  bear  sprang 
up  before  him !  then  another !  then  another !  three  of 
those  black  monsters  ready  to  seize  on  him  as  their  prey. 
He  instinctively  sprang  upon  a  stump,  uttering  a  tremen- 
duous  shout.  The  bears,  unaccustomed  to  such  a  start 
ling  outcry,  terror  stricken  fled  away,  leaving  the  rightful 
owner  in  possession  of  his  field. 

Mr.  Wilson  early  turned  his  attention  to  fruit  growing, 
and  planted  an  orchard  as  soon  as  he  could  get  land 
enough  cleared  for  that  purpose.  He  planted  the  largest 
orchard  in  this  part  of  the -State,  chiefly  of  grafted  trees, 
from  which  he  some  years  saw  gathered  from  one  hun 
dred  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  barrels  of  selected 
apples.  He  raised  many  trees  for  sale,  and  did  much  to 
promote  fruit  growing  in  this  and  the  neighboring  towns. 
With  him  originated  the  apple  known  in  this  vicinity  as 
the  "Wilson  Russett."  Mr.  Wilson  served- the  town  of 
Bradford  as  one  of  the  Selectmen,  gratuitously,  for  six  or 
seven  years,  and  officiated  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
some  fifteen  years,  during  which  time  he  transacted  a 
great  amount  of  business.  He  was  remarkable  for  his 
constant  attendance  on  Freemen's  meetings;  after  the 
lapse  of  nearly  sixty  years  he  was  still  there,  always  vot 
ing  on  what  is  now  called  the  Republican  side.  He  was 
strongly  opposed  to  slavery,  and  to  the  attempt  of  its 
supporters  to  overthrow  the  Federal  Government.  The 
fire  of  patriotism  kindled  in  his  youthful  mind  in  the  days 


256 

of  the  Revolution  continued  to  glow  warmly  there, 
through  a  long  life,  and  amid  all  the  infirmities  of  age. 
He  was  blessed  with  a  strong  mind  in  a  strong  and  health 
ful  body ;  and  his  intellectual  faculties  held  out  remarka 
bly,  to  the  time  of  his  death  ;  when  he  departed  peace 
fully,  trusting  in  the  mercy  of  his  God  and  Saviour,  in 
the  ninety-fifth  year  of  his  age,  February  23,  1863.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  alike  distinguished  for  his  mildness  and  de 
cision  ;  for  veracity  and  uprightness ;  for  his  domestic 
virtues  and  love  of  country.  He  stood  firmly  for  a  while, 
but  at  length,  like  one  of  the  sightly  old  forest  trees  of 
the  mountain,  he  has  fallen  ;  his  time,  as  he  said,  having 
come. 

The  above  account  of  David  Wilson,  Esq.,  I  prepared, 
from  information,  given  me  soon  after  his  death,  about 
eleven  years  ago,  and  now  add  some  further  notices  of 
him,  and  especially  regarding  his  family,  lately  received 
from  his  son,  John  Wilson,  Esq.,  who  still  occupies  the  old 
homestead,  in  1874. 

He  says  when  his  father  took  up  that  lot  on  which  he 
settled  in  Bradford,  of  so  little  estimation  had  it  been 
held  that  at  one  time  it  was  sold  at  auction  to  obtain  the 
payment  of  its  charter  fees,  and  was  bid  off  for  one  bushel 
of  wheat  and  a  gallon  of  rum.  When  his  parents  settled 
there  no  carriage  road  had  been  opened  across  the  moun 
tain,  and  their  first  habitation  was  a  log  cottage,  the  build 
ing  of  which  had  been  commenced  by  one  Caleb  Page. 
And  he  had  often  heard  his  good  mother  tell,  that  when 
at  one  time  she  had  set  out  to  visit  her  sister,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Duffee,  about  one  mile  away,  over  the  mountain,  leading 
her  little  son  James,  and  carrying  David,  the  baby,  on  her 
other  arm,  she,  when  about  half  way  along,  confronted  a 
huge  bear !  sitting  directly  in  her  path,  and  not  showing 
any  disposition  to  stir !  It  was  probably  at  the  time  not 
hungry,  and  so  suffered  the  good  woman  with  her  child 
ren  to  return  quickly  to  her  home  in  safety.  Another 


257 

exploit  of  Mrs.  Wilson  was  that  on  one  occasion  she  rode 
on  horseback  with  her  son  William,  then  about  ten  years 
old,  behind  her,  from  her  home  to  Londonderry,  N.  !L,  a 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  and,  af 
ter  a  visit  with  her  friends  there  of  a  few  weeks,  returned 
in  the  same  way,  safe  and  sound.  And  so  much  of  a 
walker  was  Mr.  Wilson  that  he  used  to  go  on  foot  to  Lon 
donderry  in  two  days,  and  having  accomplished  his  busi 
ness,  return  home  again  in  the  same  length  of  time.  The 
price  of  salt  in  Bradford  in  those  days  is  an  item  of  some 
interest  at  this  time.  Mr.  J.  Wilson  says  when  his  father 
first  came  here  to  live  he  brought  with  him  in  the  boat, 
up  Connecticut  River,  a  tierce  of  salt,  and  he  has  noticed 
in  one  of  his  father's  old  accounts  a  pharge  to  Peter 
Welton  of  "  One  bushel  of  salt,  4  dollars." 

The  date  of  David  Wilson  death  has  already  been 
given.  Mrs.  Wilson,  his  wife,  died  March  6,  1853,  about 
ten  years  before  his  decease,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 
Their  children : 

1.  Robert,  born  August  12,  1794,  died  young. 

2.  William,  born  June   13,  1796.     He  married  Anna 
Haseltine,  who  died  soon  after  the  death  of  their  first 
child,  a   son.     He  afterwards  married  Ann  Barker,  and 
had  five  sons,  all  of  whom  married.     His  second  wife  has 
deceased,  and  he  lives  with  his  son  Robert,  at  Craftsbury, 
Vermont. 

3.  James,  born  January  15,  1798,  married  Sophronia 
Closson,  and  had  two  daughters,  both  mother  and  daugh 
ters  now  deceased.     He  married  for  his  second  wife  Bet 
sey  Corliss,  of  Windham,  N.  H.,  and  had  five  sons  and  four- 
daughters,  all  of  whom,  except  one  of  the  daughters,  mar 
ried  and  have  families,   and  live   in   Compton,  Province 
of  Quebec. 

4.  David,  born  January  1800,  married  Fanny  Rogers, 
of  Bradford,  and  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters.     He 
lived  for  some  years  in  Westmore,  Vt.,  and  represented 


258 

that  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  His  wife  having  de 
ceased,  he  went  to  live  with  one  of  his  sons  in  Compton, 
above  named. 

5.  Fanny,  born  in  1800,  died  young. 

6.  Samuel,  born  May    12,  1804;  married  first  Emily 
Thompson,  of  Topsham.     They  had  one  son,  who   went 
West,  and  was  never  heard  from.     After  the  decease  of  his 
first  wife,  Mr.  W.  married  Martha  Godfrey.     They  had  a 
son  and  a  daughter.     The  second  wife  has  deceased,  and 
Mr.  W.  lives  with  his  son-in-law  at  Lancaster,  N.  H. 

7.  John,  born  Aug.  11,  1806,  married  Nancy  Cochran, 
June  29,  1834,  by  whom  he  had  five   children,  namely : 
Mary  W.,  Byron  B.,  Persis  A.,  John  D.,  and  Boyd  H.     Of 
these  Persis  A.  jnarried  Bailey  Avery,  of  Newbury,  and 
has  three  sons  and  two  daughters.    Her  brother,  John  D., 
married   Melvina   Crafts,  of  Bradford,  Jan.  1,  1865,  and 
lives  with  his  father   and  brother,  Boyd  H.,  on  the  old 
homestead.     Mary  W.  also  is  still  with  her  parents. 

Byron  B.  Wilson,  above  named,  born  Nov.  18,  1836, 
was  a  young  man  of  talent,  energy,  and  decided  patriot 
ism,  a  young  man  of  estimable  character,  and  much  be- 
ioved,  not  only  at  home,  but  among  his  acquaintances 
generally.  Early  in  the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion,  Sept.  5,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
service  of  his  country,  for  the  period  of  three  years ;  or 
while  the  war  should  last.  His  regiment,  the  4th  Ver 
mont  volunteers,  pertained  to  the  command  of  Brigadier 
Gen.  Wm.  Smith,  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was 
in  several  bloody  battles,  and  on  one  ocasion  wrote  :  "No 
friend  of  mine  shall  blush  to  think  that  I  feared,  or  ever 
failed,  to  meet  the  foe."  Again  :  "There  are  many  chan 
ces  for  me  to  lay  down  my  life,  before  my  term  of  service 
expires.  One  thing  is  certain,  I  shall  try  to  do  my  duty, 
to  meet  all  contingencies  manfully,  whatever  may  be  my 
fate."  Whatever  it  may  be  I  am  content,  only  that  the 
Union  be  preserved."  In  the  great  battle  of  the  wilder- 


259 

ness  this  beloved  and  brave  young  man  was  instantly 
killed,  May  5,  1864,  by  a  bullet  sent  through  his  head, 
and  there,  with  many  others,  was  buried.  But  they  died 
not  in  vain.  The  Union  has  been  preserved,  and  liberty 
proclaimed  throughout  the  whole  land,  to  all  the  inhabit 
ants  thereof. 

John  Wilson,  Esq.,  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  several  years,  hence  his  title. 

8.  '  Persis,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family  of  Da 
vid  Wilson,  Esq.,  born  Nov.  2,  1808,  married  Eliphalet 
Hunt,  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  who  died  some  years  ago, 
leaving  a  son,  David  W.,  with  whom  she  at  this  date  was 
living  at  Moline,  Illinois. 


260 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Tabors,  Putnams,  Pearsons,  and  Sawyers. 

THE  TABOR  FAMILY. 

The  following  information  in  regard  'to  this  large  and 
respectable  family  was  mainly  obtained  from  Thomas  Ta 
bor,  since  deceased,  and  from  his  son,  Lorenzo  Tabor,  Esq., 
now  living  in  Adrian,  Mich. 

Stephen  Tabor  and  his  Avife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Comfort  Parker,  emigrated  to  this  town  of  Bradford  in  the 
autumn  of  1798,  bringing  with  them  eleven  children,  to 
whom  three  more  were  added  after  their  coming,  all  of  the 
same  mother,  and  what  is  very  remarkable  the  whole  four 
teen  lived  to  be  over  thirty  years  of  age.  All,  with  their 
families,  have  now  disappeared  from  this  town,  and  only 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  of  the  original  family  are 
now,  June,  1874,  supposed  to  be  living.  Mr.  Stephen  Ta 
bor  removed  his  family  from  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  set 
tled  on  a  good  farm,  or  rather  on  a  lot  which  he  and  his 
sons  converted  into  a  good  farm,  on  Goshen  road,  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  from  Bradlord  village,  the  same  farm 
which  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Capt.  Preston  Cham- 
berlin.  Mr.  Tabor  died  there,  Aug.  10,  1852,  at  the  age 
of  80,  and  Mrs.  Tabor,  his  wife,  died  Aug.  23,  1837,  in  her 
79th  year.  Their  children  were  : 

1.  Mary  was  born  March  27,  1767,  and  died  Jan.  10, 
1847,  in  the  70th  year  of  her  age. 

2.  Ruby,  born  Sept.  7,  1778,  married  Ezekiel  Sawyer, 
and  died  leaving  a  family  (see  the  Sawyers)  March  24, 
1813,  in  her  35th  year. 

3.  Rebecca,  born   Aug.   2,   1780 ;    married   Thomas 
Highlands,  and    died  July  22,    1852,  aged    72,  nearly; 
left  a  family. 

4.  Jeremiah,  born  April  22,  1782  ;  married  Dorothy 


261 

Drew,  settled  on  Indian  stream,  in  the  North-west  part  of 
New  Hampshire,  and  died  there  March  31,  1843,  aged  61, 
nearly. 

5.  Phebe,  born  Aug.  1784;  married  Thomas  Whipple, 
and  died  Aug.  17, 1823,  aged  39  years.     Thomas  Whipple 
was   M.  D.,  and  also  a  Member  of   Congress.     See  fur 
ther  account  of  him  among  the  Physicians  in  Bradford. 

6.  Thomas  Tabor,  born  May  13,  1786  ;  married  Abi 
gail  Drew,  of  Corinth,  who  died  Sept.  24,  1861,  aged  69 
years,  5  months  and  4  days.     Mr.  Tabor  died  at  Hudson, 
Michigan,  Feb.  27,  1863,  in  the  77th  year  of  his  age.     Of 
him  and  his  family  see  further  notice,  hereafter. 

7.  Paul  Tabor,  born  Aug.   12,  1788;    married  Waity 
Whipple,  and  is  at  this  writing  living  in  health  and  mental 
vigor  near  Adrian,  Michigan,  with  his  wife. 

8.  Sarah,  born  March  12, 1791  ;  married  Daniel  Drew, 
of  Corinth,  and  at  this  date  is  living  still  in  health  and 
activity,  at  Prairie  Du  Lac,  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin. 

9.  Stephen  Tabor,  born  March  11, 1793  ;  married  Sarah 
Wilson,  daughter  of  James  W.,  the  globe  maker,  and  died 
March  27,  1823,  aged  30  years  and  16  days. 

10.  Anna,  born  Feb.   11,  1795  ;  married  Lewis  Mas- 
querier,  lived  with  him  at  Green  Point,  King's  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  died  Sept.  13,  1873,  in  her  78th  year. 

11.  Mercy,  born  Dec.  16, 1796  ;  married  John  H.  Kim- 
ball,  .of  Bradford,  and  died   Aug.  25,  1833,  in  her  37th 
year.     See  Kimball  family. 

12.  Blisha  P.  Tabor,  born  Feb.  26, 1799  ;  married  Han 
nah  Kent,  and  at  this  writing  is  living  at  Prairie  Du  Lac, 
Wisconsin. 

13.  Patience,  born  March,  1801 ;  a  successful  teacher 
still  living,  single. 

14.  Isaac   W.  Tabor,  born   November  11,  1804;    by 
profession  an  attorney -at-law ;  married ;  established  him 
self  in  business  at  Houlton,  Aroostook  Co.,  Maine ;  repre- 


262 

sented  that  town  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  died  there 
Jan.  23,  1859,  in  his  55th  year. 

Of  the  children  of  these  numerous  members  of  the  orig 
inal  Tabor  family  we  have  not  been  furnished  with  any 
account,  except  in  the  case  of  Thomas  and  his  wife,  Abi 
gail  Drew,  who  had  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  na 
tives  of  Bradford,  namely : 

1.  Lorenzo  Tabor,  born  February  23, 1815.     His  early 
education,  pursued  for  some  years  in  good  district  schools, 
was  finished  at  Bradford  Academy.     He  commenced  the 
study  of  law  with  Seth  Austin,  Esq.,  of  this  town,  and 
completed  the  requisite  course  in  the  office  of  Elijah  Farr, 
attorney-at-law,  at  Wells  River,  Vt.,  and  by  Orange  Coun 
ty  Court  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1838.     In  May, 
1839,  he  married  Miss  Maria,  daughter  of  Thomas  Orms- 
by,  of  this  town,  and  with  her  set  out  to  seek  a  home  in 
the  West.     They  seem  to  have  been  most  happily  united, 
and  have  lived  for  many  years  in  prosperity  at  Adrian, 
Michigan.     They  have  had  three  beautiful  sons,  all  re 
moved  from  them  by  the  stroke  of  death,  in  their  boy 
hood.     Esquire  Tabor  has  been  not  only  successful  in  his 
professional  business,  and  accumulated  a  competency  with 
which,  unlike  many  others,  he  seems  to  be  satisfied,  and 
disposed  to  be  liberal ;  but  has  also  gained  the  reputation 
of  a  capable,  upright,  and  trustworthy  man,  and  as  such 
has  been  in  various  ways  honored.     On  the  late  occasion 
of  his  resignation  of  the  office  of  an  Alderman  of  Adrian, 
the   City  Council  passed  resolutions  highly  applauding 
"  the  rare  ability,  honesty  of  purpose,  and  the  strictest 
integrity,"  ever  manifested  by  him  in  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties,  and  their  regret  that,  for  reasons  made  pub 
lic  by  him,  he  should  have  seen  fit  to  resign. 

2.  Philander   Tabor,   the    next  brother   of   the   last 
named,  born  November  15,  1816,  is  at  this  date  living  in 
Independence,  Iowa. 


263 

3.  Ruby,  born  July  1,  1818,  married  Henry  Ames, 
with  whom  she  lives  in  Adrian. 

4.  Stephen,  born  January  22,  1820,  died  August  12, 
1867. 

5.  Phebe  Jane,  born  July  31,  1824,  lives  near  her 
brother  Lorenzo. 

6.  Lavalette,  born  September  24,  1826,  is  largely  and 
successfully  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Prairie  Du 
Lac,  Wisconsin. 

7.  Mercy  Helen,  born  November  22,  1828,  married 
S.  S.  Wilkinson,  a  lawyer,  and  lives  in  Jefterson,  Green 
County,  Iowa,  in  good  circumstances. 

8.  Thomas   Byron,   born   September   29,   1830,   died 
February  19,  1849,  in  his  nineteenth  year. 

9.  Another  son,  Walter  W.,  born  August  11,  1833, 
died  in  his  fifth  year. 

Thomas  Tabor,  Esq.,  had  a  love  for  the  beautiful  in 
nature,  and  by  the  way-sides,  near  their  residence  in 
Bradford,  set  out  those  rows  of  maples,  now  so  large  and 
flourishing  and  attractive  to  every  passer  by.  He  set 
them  in  the  spring  of  1830,  so  that  they  have  now  been 
growing  there  for  forty-four  years.  He  was  a  trustee  of 
Bradford  Academy  for  several  years,  and  to  him,  mainly, 
is  the  institution  indebted  for  the  beautiful  maples  which 
adorn  its  grounds.  He  set  them  there  in  the  spring  of 
1831.  Mr.  Tabor  removed  to  Michigan  in  1837  ;  and  in 
1860  wrote  to  me,  "Here  are  many  trees  growing,  that 
may  perpetuate  a  name  that  otherwise  might  become  ex 
tinct." 

In  the  same  letter  he  gave  the  following  account  of  his 
experience  in  regard  to  the  business  of  making  whiskey : 
"  Not  far  from  the  year  1810,  my  brother  Jeremiah  and  I, 
the  two  oldest  sons,  both  zealous  members  of  the  Freewill 
Baptist  church,  built  a  distillery  on  the  Tabor  farm,  and 

N.  B. — When  individuals  are  spoken  of  as  now  living,  the  meaning  is  now  at 
the  time  of  this  writing,  which  in  this  case  is  June,  1874, 


264 

engaged  largely  in  making  whiskey  from  potatoes,  which 
we  followed  for  near  fifteen  years,  raising  from  one  thou 
sand  to  four  thousand  bushels  of  potatoes  yearly,  and 
buying  as  many  more.  This  was  the  most  successful  es 
tablishment  of  the  kind  for  many  miles  around,  and  no 
doubt  did  more  real  injury  in  the  circle  of  its  influence 
than  the  proprietors  have  been,  or  ever  will  be,  able  to 
atone  for  by  a  long  life  of  humble  repentance  and  earnest 
efforts  to  do  good.  This  business  finally  fell  into  my 
hands, '  and  I  verily  thought  with  myself7  that  I  could 
make  and  sell  whiskey,  and  at  the  same  time  please  God, 
pray  to  Him  acceptably  and  be  a  blessing  to  the  world. 
In  this  state  of  mind  I  attended  a  temperance  lecture  at 
the  village,  the  first  I  ever  attended,  not  far  from  the 
year  1825.  In  this  meeting  the  dreadful  and  inexcusable 
sin  of  making,  selling,  or  drinking,  alcoholic  liquors  as  a 
beverage  was  so  forcibly  brought  home  to  my  conscience 
that  I  felt,  with  David,  that  I  had  sinned ;  and  was  among 
the  first  to  come  forward  and  sign  the  pledge  of  total  ab 
stinence,  which  I  have  faithfully  kept  for  now  thirty-five 
years,  and  intend  to  keep  till  I  die.  The  distillery  went 
to  the  bugs." 

It  was  probably  in  1826  that  Mr.  Tabor's  conversion  oc 
curred  ;  as  it  was  then  that  our  earnest  temperance  effort 
was  commenced.  And,  though  the  fact  is  not  stated  by 
him,  it  was  said  at  the  time  that  the  horrible  murder  of  a 
womanatHaverhill,  N.  H.,  by  her  drunken  husband,  under 
the  maddening  influence  of  some  of  Mr.  Tabor's  whiskey, 
was  with  him  an  urgent  motive  to  break  off  at  once,  and 
forever,  from  the  business  in  which  he  had  been  engaged. 
He  was  ever  after  an  earnest  advocate  of  total  abstinance. 
Esqr.  Tabor  was  a  very  sensible  and  kind-hearted  man, 
and,  withal,  quite  poetically  inclined.  Some  specimens  of 
his  poetry  may  be  seen,  with  other  Bradford  productions 
of  that  sort,  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book. 


265 

ADJUTANT  JOHN  PUTNAM  AND  FAMILY. 

For  the  following  brief  account  of  this  patriotic  man, 
and  family,  I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  Hannah  Pearsons,  of 
Lynn,  Mass.,  his  daughter,  and  give  it  mainly  in  her  own 
words  : 

"My  father,  John  Putnam,  was  born  in  Lyndeborough, 
N.  H.,  in  1760.  He  served  for  seven  years  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  and  was  for  some  time  one  of  the  life 
guards  of  Gen.  Washington.  He,  in  common  with  many 
others,  at  times  suffered  severely  from  cold  and  hunger, 
and  manifold  hardships.  I  have  heard  him  say  that  at  one 
time  they  were  so  destitute  that  he  and  his  comrades  ate 
horse's  liver,  and  he  thought  it  the  sweetest  mouthfuls 
he  had  ever  tasted.  In  battle  his  right  and  left  hand  men 
had  been  shot  down  by  his  side,  while  he  was  preserved. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  they  were  paid  off  in  worthless 
currency.  In  his  old  age  he  received  from  the  govern 
ment  a  pension  of  ninety- six  dollars  annually,  which  was 
very  acceptable.  He  married  Olive  Barren,  of  Lynde 
borough,  a  sister  of  General  Micah  Barren,  subsequently 
of  Bradford,  Vt.,  and  removed  to  that  place  in  1787.  The 
inhabitants  were  then  but  few,  and  subject  to  the  various 
trials  of  early  settlers.  Soon  after  the  coming  of  my  par 
ents  there  was  a  scarcity  of  provisions.  Articles  of  living- 
were  very  dear,  and  money  to  buy  with  hard  to  be  ob 
tained.  I  have  heard  my  mother  tell  that  one  evening 
when  father  came  home,  weary  and  hungry,  she  wa& 
obliged  to  confess  that  they  had  absolutely  nothing  to  eat. 
Almost  disheartened,  he  lay  down,  and  soon  dropt  to 
sleep.  She  put  on  her  cloak,  and  went  down  to  Mr.  Ich- 
abod  Ormsby's.  The  good  old  lady,  with  whom  she  had 
never  spoken  before,  met  her  at  the  door,  with  the  excla 
mation,  "  You  dear  woman !  come  in."  Mother  told  her 
why  she  had  come  ;  and  Mrs.  Ormsby  promptly  gave  her 
bread  and  butter  and  meal,  with  which  she  joyfully  re- 
18 


266 

turned  and  furnished  her  table,  and  then  awoke  her  hus 
band.  When  he  found  what  she  had  done,  the  strong  man 
wept.  They  were  both  not  only  glad  for  the  kindness  of 
their  neighbor,  but  very  thankful.  My  father  for  several 
years  was  much  occupied  in  building  bridges  and  mill- 
dams,  and  in  rafting  lumber  down  Connecticut  River. 

When  the  last  war  with  England  broke  out,  in  1812, 
my  father,  with  his  two  sons,  John  and  Ephraim,  in  the 
spirit  of  heroic  patriotism,  shouldered  their  muskets  and 
knapsacks,  and  went  promptly  into  the  service  of  their 
country.  In  this  war  he  acted  both  as  Lieutenant  and 
regimental  Adjutant.  He  was  a  military  man,  not  from 
love  of  dress  parade  in  time  of  peace,  but  to  render  his 
best  services  to .  his  country  in  her  times  of  perilous  ne 
cessity. 

My  parents  had  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  natives 
of  Bradford,  of  whom  I  give  you  the  following  brief 
notices : 

1.  Olive  Putnam  married  Moses  Collins,  of  Bradford, 
by  occupation  a  carpenter.     They  had  fifteen  children, 
and  lived  to  see  some  of  their  posterity  of  the  fourth  gen 
eration.     They  removed  to  Michigan,  and  died  there. 

2.  Sarah  Putnam  married  Eber  Jones  Chapin,  a  cloth 
ier  by  trade,  at  South  Newbury,  Yt.,  where   he  died. 
They  had  nine  children,  among  whom  were  John  P.  and 
Eber  J.  Chapin,  successful  merchants  in  Chicago.     Mrs. 
Chapin,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  lived  with  her 
daughter,  Sarah  Cummins,  in  Wisconsin,  and  died  there. 

3.  Jonathan  Putnam  married  Mary  Stockwell.     They 
had  eight  children.     He  was  a  hard-working  man,  of  kind 
disposition ;  kind  to  the  widow  and  fatherless,  and  others 
in  need  of  his  help.     He  and  his  wife  remained  and  died 
in  Bradford. 

4.  Rebeccah  Putnam  married  Isaac  Stockwell.     They 
had  nine  children.     Two  of  the  sons  are  successful  mer- 


267 

chants  in  Danville,  Canada  East.     These  parents  both  died 
there. 

5.  John  Putnam  married  Mary  Peckett,  of  Bradford. 
They  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  became  a  wealthy 
farmer,  and  was  killed  in  a  reaping  machine.     They  had 
four  children,  all  now  deceased.     Their  mother  was  left 
the  last  surviving  member  of  her  former  family. 

6.  Micah  Barren  Putnam  died  in  childhood,  at  the  age 
of  two  years. 

7.  Hannah  Putnam  married  John  Pearsons,  of  Brad 
ford.     They  had  nine  children.     Of  this  family  further 
notice  hereafter. 

8.  Ephraim  Putnam  married  Rachel  Stoddard.     They 
had  six  children.     He   died  in  Bradford,  where  she,  in 
1874,  is  still  living. 

9.  Elizabeth  Putnam  married  Israel  Prescott,  and  had 
one  son.     She  died  at  East  Boston.     Mr.  Prescott  married 
again,  and  lives  in  Bradford. 

10.  Lucy  Putnam  married  Phelps   Bliss,  of  Fairlee. 
They  migrated  to  Iowa.     Both  died  there,  leaving  nine 
children,  all  settled  in  that  State. 

11.  William  ^Barren  Putnam  married  Esther  Brown. 
They  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  with  their  nine  children  re 
main  there.     At  our  last  intelligence  this  brother  was 
there  successfully  engaged  in  preaching  the  gospel. 

Adjutant  John  Putnam,  the  father  of  this  large  family, 
died  in  Hydepark,  Vt.,  November  5,  1837,  at  the  age  of 
about  seventy-seven  years.  His  remains  were  brought 
to  Bradford  for  burial. 

Mrs.  Pearsons  adds,  "  My  mother,  having  lived  with  me 
at  Hartford,  Vt.,  for  sixteen  years,  died  there,  in  1858,  at 
the  good  old  age  of  ninety-three  years  and  three  months. 
I  conveyed  her  remains  to  Bradford  for  burial  beside 
those  of  my  father,  in  the  principal  cemetery  there.  She 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Brad 
ford  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  loved  both  the  church 


268 

and  its  pastor.     She  retained  her  reason  to  the  last,  and 
died  divinely  supported  and  comforted. 

JOHN   PEARSONS   AND  FAMILY. 

John  Pearsons  was  born  in  Lyndeborough,  N.  H.,  Au 
gust  29,  1792.  He  came  to  Bradford  to  live  in  his  twelfth 
year.  When  the  war  with  England  broke  out,  in  1812,  he, 
then  about  twenty  years  of  age,  volunteered  as  a  soldier, 
and  remained  in  the  service  till,  at  the  end  of  the  war, 
honorably  discharged.  In  1817  he  was  married  with  Miss 
Hannah  Putnam,  mentioned  in  the  account  of  the  Putnam 
family.  For  about  seventeen  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  near  and  on  the  Connecticut  River, 
at  the  proper  seasons  taking  timber,  boards,  shingles,  etc., 
down  the  river  as  far  as  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  sometimes 
to  its  confluence  with  the  ocean.  He  also  kept  tavern  on 
the  Lower  Plain  for  sixteen  years,  in  the  same  house 
which  had  been  occupied  for  the  like  purpose  by  Colonel 
John  Barron  and  family  in  former  years.  That  old  yellow 
house,  two  stories  in  front  and  one  in  the  rear,  is  still 
standing,  but  moved  to  the  east  side  of  the  highway.  On 
its  original  site  Mr.  Pearsons  built,  in  1842,  a  new  and 
more  commodious  hotel,  designed  to  be  more  comfortable 
and  enduring,  the  walls  being  of  sawn  timber,  laid  as 
solid  as  brick  walls,  and  then  finished  outside  and  within 
in  the  ordinary  style.  That  house  is  now  owned  by  a 
Mr.  Golding,  and  occupied  as  a  private  dwelling.  Mr. 
Pearsons  sold  his  place  in  Bradford  in  1844,  and  removed 
to  Hartford,  Vt.,  where  he  had  bought  a  good  farm  on 
White  River,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  devoted 
himself  to  its  cultivation,  and,  with  his  pleasant  family, 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearsons  had  seven  sons  and  two  daugh 
ters,  all  natives  of  Bradford.  Of  these,  three  died  in  their 
childhood ;  namely,  William  Chapin,  the  third  child,  Lucy, 
the  fifth,  and  Lucius,  the  sixth. 


269 

Charles  Pearsons,  the  youngest  son,  lived  to  be  a  prom 
ising  young  man  and  fine  scholar,  but  died  at  Hartford, 
August  9,  1858,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age. 

Of  the  four  sons  and  one  daughter  now  living  (March, 
1874)  the  following  gratifying  notices  may  be  given. 

1.  John  Alonzo  Pearsons  was  born  September  8, 1818. 
He  was  married  with  Hannah  Stevens  Bailey,  of  New- 
bury,  Yt.,  October  25,   1842.     They  had  four  children. 
He  moved  to  Evanston,  Illinois,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  there.     He  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
lers  of  that  beautiful  place,  and  has  contributed  in*  vari 
ous  ways  to  its  prosperity.     His  son,  Henry  A.  Pearsons, 
served  in  the  late  war  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  Regi 
ment  of  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  is  now  engaged  in  real  estate 
agency  in  Chicago.     Isabella,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  A.  Pearsons,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  William  Mappin,  of 
Larimie,  Wyoming  Territory. 

2.  Daniel  Kimball  Pearsons  was  born  April  14,  1820. 
He   taught  school   for  five  Winters,  studied   medicine, 
graduated  as  M.  D.  in  1843,  practiced  for  ten  years  in 
Chicopee,  Mass.,  married  Miss  Marietta    Chapin,  August 
17,  1847,  and  traveled  in  Europe.     On  his  return  he  went 
to  Chicago  and  pursued  the  business  of  his  profession  for 
some  while,  and  then  engaged  in   real  estate  business, 
dealing  largely  in  farming  lands,  selling  for  private  indi 
viduals   and   railroad  companies,   investing   money  to  a 
great  amount  yearly  for  Eastern  capitalists,  on  real  estate 
security  ;  and  having  secured  a  high  reputation  for  strict 
integrity  and  successful  management,  has  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years  accumulated,  and  that,  it  is   believed,  by 
honest  means,  an  ample  fortune,  which  he  seems  disposed 
to  .use  with  discretion  and  commendable  liberality,  assist 
ing  the  needy,  and  promoting  good  objects  generally ;  in 
all  well  doing  being  heartily  encouraged  and  aided  by  his 
benevolent  and  magnanimous  wife. 

3.  William  Barren  Chapin  Pearsons  was  born  Decem- 


270 

ber  19,  1824.  He  taught  school  for  a  number  of  Winters, 
studied  law,  graduated  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Law  School, 
and  opened  an  office  at  Holyoke,  in  that  State,  where  he 
has  remained  in  successful  practice  for  twenty-five  years. 
He  married,  February  25,  1857,  Sarah  Elizabeth  Taylor, 
of  Westfield,  Mass.  They  have  three  children.  He  has 
been  a  member,  both  of  the  House  and  Senate,  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  served  in  the  late 
war  as  Paymaster.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  busi 
ness,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Holyoke. 

4.  George  Reed  Pearsons  was  born  August  7,  1830. 
He  lived  for  several  years  in  Hartford,  making  it  his  busi 
ness  to  teach  in  the  Winter  seasons ;  but  was  by  occupa 
tion  a  farmer.     In  1856,  October  the  8th,  he  married  Miss 
Welthea  Porter,  of  Hartford,  Vt.,  and  finally  moved  to 
Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  where  he  still  resides,  successfully  en 
gaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business.     He  is  at  this 
date  Mayor  of  the  city,  and  highly  esteemed  for  his  moral 
integrity  and  decided  ability  as  a  man  of  business.     He 
has  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

5.  Hannah  Elizabeth  Pearsons,  born  April  25,  1836, 
resided  in  Bradford  till  eight  years  of  age,  when  she  went 
with  her  parents  to  live  in  Hartford,     In  the  twenty-first 
year  of  her  age,  February  14,  1860,  she  was  married  to 
Alvin  Matthew  Gushing,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician  in 
Bradford,  of  whom  more  full  account  may  be  seen  in  the 
chapter  of  doctors  who  have  resided  and  practiced  here. 
The  worthy  doctor  and  his  not  less  worthy  wife  now  re 
side  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  he  is  doing  a  large  business 
in  the  line  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  John  Pearsons,  the  father  of  this  family,  an  indus 
trious,  kind-hearted,  and  strictly  honest  man,  died  at  Hart 
ford,  Vt.,  October  30,  1857,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years, 
and  a  marble  obelisk  erected  to  his  memory  in  the  princi 
pal  cemetery  of  Bradford  shows  the  place  of  his  burial. 
To  Mrs.  Pearsons,  his  widow,  now  resident  with  her  child- 


271 

ren,  Dr.  Gushing  and  wife,  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  I  have  been 
indebted  for  the  dates,  names,  and  principal  facts  given 
in  the  above  account.  It  would  not  be  at  all  strange  if 
the  good  mother  should  feel  somewhat  proud  of  such  a 
family  as  the  God  of  all  grace  and  consolation  has  given 
her. 

THE  SAWYERS. 

Captain  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  born  May  9,  1743,  came  to 
this  town  from  Rowley,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1795,  and 
purchased  the  farm  on  Connecticut  River  next  south  of 
Rowell's  ledge,  the  same  which  is  now  owned  and  occu 
pied  by  his  grandson,  Deacon  John  H .  Sawyer,  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  this  and  the  following  information. 
Captain  Sawyer  there  remained,  an  industrious  farmer 
and  worthy  citizen,  the  rest  of  his  days.  He  died  Jan 
uary  13,  1817,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
Mrs.  Mary  (Pay son)  Sawyer,  his  wife,  died  July  6,  1819. 
The  venerable  old  two-story  house  which  they  occupied 
was  succeeded  some  years  since  by  a  nice  cottage  in 
modern  style. 

Captain  Sawyer  arid  wife  on  their  coming  into  this 
town  for  settlement  brought  with  them  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  seven  daughters,  who  lived  to  be  men  and 
women,  and  all,  with  the  exception  of  one  daughter,  to 
marry  and  have  children  of  their  own. 

1.  Elliott-  Sawyer,  born  about  1766,  married  Lucy 
Young,  and  settled  in  Stanstead,  Canada  East.  They 
had  but  one  son,  Elliott,  Jr.,  who  lived  to  manhood.  -He 
married  Lydia  Abbott,  who  died  in  Bradford  village. 
They  had  several  sons  and.  daughters,  namely :  Samuel, 
who  was  drowned  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  while  the  fami 
ly  were  living  in  Canada.  Homer  died  in  New  Orleans." 
Emily  married  Ormand  Jenney ;  they  live  in  Methuen, 
Mass.  Elzina  married  George  Peters,  of  Bradford ;  they 
have  one  son,  Harry  Malcom,  and  one  daughter,  Anna 


272 

Gertrude.  Silas  Sawyer  lives  in  New  Orleans.  Maria 
married  John  Bicknell,  and  settled  in  Methuen.  John 
lives  in  Boston,  engaged  in  livery  business.  James  mar 
ried  Ellen  Cummings,  of  Bradford.  She  died  in  this 
place  in  1874,  leaving  one  daughter,  Carrie.  Several  of 
the  members  of  this  family  were  distinguished  singers  of 
sacred  music.  Mr.  Sawyer,  the  father,  is  at  this  date  liv 
ing  in  •  Methuen.  His  parents  had  several  daughters,  of 
whom  one  gave  these  brief  notices.  Narcissa  married  a 
Mr.  Bangs,  and  died  here.  Mary  married  James  McDuf- 
fee.  See  account  of  the  McDufFee  family.  Betsey  mar 
ried  Albert  Woodworth,  had  several  children  and  died. 
Mr.  W.,  her  husband,  was  subsequently  killed  or  died  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  during  the  late  war.  Lucy 
died  here  in  maidenhood,  having  long  been  unable  to 
walk.  Maria  married  Ogden  Fox,  had  five  children,  and 
died. 

2.  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  the  second  son  of  the  first  of  that 
name  in  Bradford,  born  January  13,  1768,  married  Ruby 
Tabor,  of  this  town ;  had  two  sons,  who  died  in  childhood, 
and  six  daughters,  who  lived  to  womanhood,  namely :  Ru 
by,  Almira,  Mary  Ann,  Hannah,  Jane  and  Harriet.  Han 
nah  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Carr.  Captain  Benjamin 
Celley,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  highly  esteemed  citizen 
of  Fairlee,  married  Jane  Sawyer,  and  they  had  a  son  Wil 
liam,  and  a  daughter  Mary.  William  married  Jane  Moore, 
daughter  of  Jasper  Moore,  of  West  Fairlee,  and  had  a 
daughter  Emma  Jane,  and  Greorgi  E.  The  daughter 
Mary  married  Marshall  Rugg,  and  they  have  one  son. 
Captain  Celley  with  his  children  and  their  companions 
live  in  close  and  happy  proximity,  being  all  partakers  of 
the  same  precious  faith.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
he  married  her  sister  Mary  Ann ;  and  after  her  decease, 
so  happy  had  been  his  connection  with  these  two  good 
wives  that  he  married  for  his  third  wife  their  no  less 
worthy  sister  Harriet,  with  whom  at  this  date  he  is  still 


273 

living  in  prosperity  and  happiness.  He  'attends  worship 
with  the  Methodist  church  in  Bradford,  as  his  son  and 
wife  also  do.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rugg  worship  at  Fairlee. 

3.  Mary  Sawyer,  of  the  original  family  here,  born  No 
vember  30, 1770,  married  John  Gage,  of  Hopkinton,  N.  H., 
and  had  two  sons  and  one  daughter.     The  parents  both 
died  there. 

4.  Mehitable   Sawyer,  born  March  31,  1773,  died  in 
maidenhood,  January  22,  1862,  in  the  eighty-ninth  year 
of  her  age.     She  and  her  sisters,  Elizabeth,  Jane,  Mercy 
and  Anne,  were  all  members  of  the  Congregational  church 
in  Bradford. 

5.  Elizabeth  Sawyer,  born  February  13, 1775,  married 
Jesse  Johnson,  of  this  town,  and  had  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.     She  died  May  23,  1855,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years. 

6.  Joseph  Sawyer,  born  March  28,  1777,  married  Azu- 
bah  Chamberlin,  and  had  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
He  settled  in  Newbury,  but  died  here  in  1818. 

7.  Hannah   Sawyer,   born   March   26,  1779,  married 
Jonathan  Johnson,  and  lived  and  died  in  South  Newbury. 
They  had  an  only  son,  Haynes  Johnson,  who  was  gradu 
ated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  1822,  became  a 
worthy  minister  of  the  gospel  of  the  Methodist  order,  and 
died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  leaving  two 
sons. 

8.  Jane  Sawyer,  born  December  29,  1781  ;   married 
Haynes  Johnson,  of  this  town,  where  they  remained  and 
died.     They  had  a  family  of  ten  children.     And  here  we 
see  that  three  Sawyer  sisters,  Elizabeth,  Hannah  and  Jane, 
married  three  Johnson  brothers,   Jesse,   Jonathan,   and 
Haynes,  and  all  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  the 
same  neighborhood.     For  further  notices  of  the  families 
of  Elizabeth  and  Jane,  see  the  Johnsons. 

9.  Mercy  Sawyer,  born  August  1, 1784  ;  married  Isaiah 
Stone  and  had  a  family  of  ten  children.    They  lived  for  some 


274 

time  on  the  farm  in  Bradford  now  owned  by  Thomas 
Johnson,  but  finally  removed  to  the  State  of  Ohio,  and 
died  there. 

11.  Anne  Sawyer,  born  April  8,  1784;  married  Har 
vey  Smith,  of  Bradford,  where  they  subsequently  lived 
and  died.  They  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Their 
eldest  son,  Charles  P.,  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth,  in  the 
class  of  1854  ;  went  South,  and  became  a  professional 
teacher ;  now  residing  in  Nebraska. 

10.  John  Sawyer,  a  brother  between  the  two  sisters 
last  named  ;  born  October  27  1786  ;  married  LydiaW.  Dike, 
of  Bradford,  March  19,1816.  They  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days  on  the  old  homestead,  in  the  house  next  South 
of  his  father's.  They  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  four 
daughters. 

1.  Mary  Dike  Sawyer,  born  February  27,  1817;  mar 
ried  George  Burroughs,  of  Newbury,  now  a  worthy  dea 
con  in  the  Congregational  church   there.     Have,  three 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

2.  John  Hiram  Sawyer,  born  November  22, 1818 ;  mar 
ried  Sarah  Hibbard,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.     Both  members 
ot  the  Congrgational  church  in  Bradford.     November  10, 
1871,  Mr.  Sawyer  was  elected  a  Deacon  in  the  same,  and 
in  that  capacity  has  since  officiated,  to  the  entire  satisfac 
tion  of  the  church. 

3.  Emily  Paysori  Sawyer,  born  January,  1822 ;  mar 
ried  Charles  P.  Blanchard,  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  September 
3,  1862,  and  went  there  to  live. 

4.  Henry  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  born  February  2,  1824 ; 
married  Amanda  Chamberlin.     They  live  in  Chicago,  and 
have  one  son. 

5.  Lydia  Sawyer,  born  June  13,  1826,  has  lived  for 
several  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston. 

6.  Joseph  Sawyer,  born  April  24,  1829 ;  married  Su 
san  Sawyer,  of  Newbury,  February  14,  1865 ;  went  into 
the  livery  business  at  Chicago,  where  Mrs.  Sawyer  died, 


275 

leaving  one  daughter  and  a  son.  The  little  daughter  died 
at  the  house  of  her  uncle,  Deacon  Burroughs,  of  New- 
bury,  January  9,  1874.  The  son,  Frank  E.,  remains  with 
his  father. 

7.  Elizabeth  Sawyer,  born  September  14,  1831 ;  mar 
ried  Ellis  McDufFee  of  this  town.     They  had  one  son  and 
three  daughters.     See  McDuffee  family. 

8.  Edward  Sawyer,  born  February  20,  1837,  lives  in 
Chicago,  engaged  in  Express  business. 

9.  Jane   Sawyer,  born  February  20,  1837  ;   married 
Edward  Kobie,  of  Bradford.     They  have  had  three  child 
ren,  one  son  and  a  daughter  still  living. 

Deacon  Sawyer  having  communicated  the  above  intel 
ligence,  I  said  I  should  like  to  add  some  ^appropriate  inci 
dent  or  anecdote  of  interest,  if  he  had  anything  of  that 
sort  to  give  me.  He  thought  a  moment,  and  then  replied 
substantially  as  follows :  "Well,  I  shall  never  forget  that 
when  I  was  a  young  man  I  was,  on  a  certain  occasion ,  driving 
a  team  of  nine  horses  attached  to  a  large  wagon  with  a  tre 
mendously  heavy  load  of  merchant's  goods  on  it,  around 
IngalPs  Hill,  in  Newbury,  on  my  way  to  Wells  River.  The 
road  was  narrow,  and  lay  on  the  very  brink  of  a  precipice, 
steeply  descending  into  the  Connecticut  river.  To  my 
amazement,  I  had  perceived  my  wheels  next  to  the  river  to 
be  sinking  deeper,  and  yet  deeper,  into  the  ground,  and  my 
wagon,  with  its  load,  in  utmost  danger  of  going  over  and 
dragging  the  horses  with  it  into  the  fiver  !  The  load  had 
indeed  swayed  heavily  over,  and  was  resting  against  a 
tree,  which  was  every  moment  in  danger  of  being  up 
rooted.  There  I  was  in  deep  trouble,  with  no  one  to  help 
me,  when  I  saw  you  coming  around  the  hill  on  horseback, 
on  your  way  towards  home.  You  instantly  sprang  from 
your  horse,  threw  off  your  coat,  and  promptly  afforded  me 
all  the  assistance  in  your  power.  We  got  the  horses  free, 
then  mounted  the  load,  and  persevered  in  throwing  off  ar 
ticle  after  article,  till  all  were  cleared  away,  with  the  ex- 


276 

ception  of  two  heavy  looking  barrels  at  one  end  of  the 
wagon,  which  had  been  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  load. 
When  you  said  'John,  what  have  you  in  these  barrels  ?' 
I  replied  l something  exhilerating,  I  suppose.'  'Then  let 
them  go  into  the  river  !'  said  you,  thinking,  no  doubt,  it 
was  better  the  drunkard's  drink  should  go  there  rather  than 
down  men's  throats.  I  was,  however,  as  a  teamster,  anxious 
to  save  my  whole  load,  and  having  again  hitched  on  my 
strong  team  of  horses  they  drew  out  the  wagon,  and  so, 
through  your  assistance,  all  was  saved,  much  to  my 
gratification,  and  that  of  the  owner  of  the  goods." 


277 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Kimball,  Simpson,  Colby,  Greenleaf  and  Corliss  families. 

DANIEL  KIMBALL,  ESQ.,  AND  FAMILY. 

Daniel  Kimball,  Esq.,  was  a  native  of  Bradford,  Mass., 
born  A.  D.,  1766.  He  removed  to  Pembroke,  N.  H., 
while  young,  and  there  lived  for  several  years.  He  mar 
ried  Miss  Huldah  Prescott,  November  15,  1792,  and  in 
1796  bought  a  farm  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  about  two  miles  back 
from  the  river  and  near  the  line  of  Newbury,  and  there, 
with  his  wife  and  two  eldest  children,  settled  about  that 
time.  The  farm  was  the  same  which  is  now  (1874)  own 
ed  by  Mr.  John  Holmes.  In  1814  Esq.  Kimball  purchased 
and  moved  on  to  the  farm  next  South  of  that,  the  one  now 
owned  by  his  son,  H.  W.  Kimball,  where  he  spent  the  re 
mainder  of  his  days.  He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  by 
his  fellow  townsmen,  and  by  them  often  called  to  fill  va 
rious  offices.  For  how  many  years  he  officiated  as  one  of 
the  Selectmen,  or  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  we  have  no 
exact  account,  but  he  represented  this  town  in  the  State 
Legislature  in  the  year  1802,  and  again  in  1806,  and  thence 
onward,  without  intermission,  for  some  years  more,  and  fi 
nally  in  1815,  making  nine  years  in  the  whole. 

Esquire  Kimball  and  his  first  wife  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  who  lived  to  be  men  and  women,  namely : 

1.  Eliza  C.,  born  November  13,  1794 ;  married  Doctor 
Thomas  Colby,  of  this  town,  October  29,1815;  the  first 
couple  thus  united  by  the  writer,  but  not  the  last,  by  sev 
eral  hundreds.  They  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  no  one  is  now  living,  unless  it  should  be  one  of  the 
sons,  who  is  supposed  to  be  dead,  not  having  been  heard 
of  for  about  forty  years.  Dr.  Colby  died  here  in  1829, 
at  the  age  of  forty-one  years.  His  widow  married  John 


278 

L.  Corliss,  of  Corinth,  and  died  January  10,  1837,  in  her 
forty-third  year. 

.2.  James  Kimball,  born  March  26,  1796;  went  into 
the  State  of  New  York;  married  Sophia  Maltby,  March 
14,  1819 ;  had  four  sons  and  seven  daughters;  resided  in 
Western  New  York  for  many  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Florida,  and  died  there  in  1871. 

3.  John  W.  Kimball,  born  August  16,  1796;  married 
Mercy  Tabor,  of  this  town,  April  8,  1822.     He  kept  the 
principal  hotel  in  the  village  for  a  while  ;  exercised  the 
office  of  a  sheriff;  was  a  stirring,  energetic  sort  of  a  man  ; 
moved  to  Adrian,  Mich.,  some  time  prior  to  1840,  and  died 
there  in  the  winter  of  1873  or  4.     He  had  a  family  of  four 
children,  all  natives  of  Bradford.    Charles  died  in  Wiscon 
sin.     Caroline  married  Stephen  Tabor,  of  this  town,  and 
at  this  date  was  living  in  widowhood  in  Wisconsin.    Anne 
Eliza  married  in  Maine,  and  died  there.     Emily  married, 
and  lives  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

4.  Sally  Kimball,  born  August   14,  1801,  married  Dr. 
David  Huntoon,  of  Washington,  Vt.,  October  16,1820; 
has  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  was  at  this  writing 
living  with  her  children  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  being  a  widow. 

5.  Hannah  Kimball,  born  February  19,  1804,  married 
Asa  Kimball,  of  GHlead,  Maine,  January  19,  1824,  and  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.     She  died  in  1838. 

6.  Phebe  Kimball,  born  March  12,  1806,  married  Dea. 
Samuel  Dearborn,  of  Corinth,  Vt.,  March  22,  1837,  where 
she  still  resides,  a  widow  ;  no  children. 

7.  Waity  W.  Kimball,  born  April   13,  1808.     At  the 
age  of  twenty,  on  profession  of  her  faith,  she  became  a 
beloved   member   of  the  Congregational  church  in  this 
place.     In  1839,  April  13,  she  married  T.  J.  Chapman,  of 
Bethel,  Maine,  and  died  there  in  1862.     No  children. 

8.  Adeline  Kimball,  born  February  22,  1811,  died  in 
1855,  unmarried. 

9.  Julia  A.  Kimball,  born  March  28,  1814. 


279 

Mrs.  Huldah  Prescott  Kimball,  the  mother  of  this  inter 
esting  family  of  nine  children,  died  at  Bradford,  Novem 
ber  7,  1815,  nine  days  after  the  marriage  of  her  eldest 
daughter,  and  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years. 

Daniel  Kimball,  Esq.,  married  for  his  second  wife,  March 
3,  1816,  Miss  Susan  Huntoon,  of  Corinth,  who  was  born 
April  8,  1790.  They  had  one  daughter,  Huldah  M.;  who 
died  in  her  infancy,  and  four  sons,  namely : 

1.  Daniel  C.  Kimball,  born  February  23, 1819,married 
Mary  J.  Smith,  of  Northumberland,  N.  H.     They  settled 
in  Maidston,  Yt.,  and  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Mr.  Kimball  was  called  while  there  to  fill  various  offices 
of  trust  and  importance,  as  Constable,  Town  Clerk,  and 
Representative  of  the  town  for  two  years  in  the   State 
Legislature.     He  resided  in  that  town  some  ten  or  twelve 
years,  and  in  1854  removed  to  Haverhill,  Mass.,  where  he 
died  in  April,  1873,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

2.  Hyram  W.  Kimball,  born  July  12,  1822,  married, 
April  21, 1845,  Lydia  S.  Burnham,  of  Chelsea,  Vt.     They 
had  one  daughter  and  one  son,  at  this  date  still  living, 
namely,  Abbie  L.,  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
in  Bradford,  and  wife  of  D.  S.  Johnson,  of  Fairlee  ;    and 
Frank  H.,  still  with  his  father  in  Bradford.     Mrs.  Kimball 
died  in  March,  1864.     Mr.  Kimball  married,  June  1,  1867, 
Mrs.   Mary  J.  Brock,   of   Burlington,  Wisconsin,   whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  J.  Chamberlin,  formerly  of  New- 
bury,  Vt.     They  have  one  daughter,  Alice  E.,  and  still 
occupy  the  paternal  homestead.     Mr.  Kimball  has  had 
occasion  to  be  efficient  in  town  affairs,  as  his  father  was 
before  him. 

3.  Edward  L.  Kimball,  born  October  21, 1824,  married 
a  lady  in  Maine,  and  resides  in  Portland. 

4.  Denison  S.  Kimball,  born  July  3,  1834,  married  Eu 
nice  Kendall,  of  West  Townsend,  Mass.     He  went  to  re 
side  in  that  State.     They  had  one  son  and  two  daughters. 
He  enlisted  in  a  Massachusetts  regiment  during  the  late 


280 

war,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Port  Hudson,  Louisi 
ana,  June  13,  1863. 

Daniel  Kimball,  Esq.,  the  honored  father  of  these  four 
teen  children  died  at  Bradford,  November  6,  1851,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years. 

His  widow  has  since  been  passing  the  peaceful  after 
noon  of  her  useful  and  somewhat  protracted  life  at  her 
old  home  in  Bradford,  with  her  beloved  son,  Hiram  W. 
Kimball,  and  his  kind  family. 

THE  SIMPSONS. 

Alexander  Simpson  and  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Bryant,  were  both  natives  of  Windham,  N.  H.,  and 
moved  to  this  town,  with  their  family  of  four  children,  in 
the  month  of  March,  1797.  They  started  from  Windham 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  sled,  the  only  team  to  convey 
the  family  and  goods  to  Vermont.  They  also  had  with 
them  a  cow  and  heifer.  One  of  the  oxen  met  with  a  sad 
accident,  and  died  by  the  way.  What  was  then  to  be 
done  ?  Mr.  Simpson  yoked  his  cow  and  heifer  together, 
hitched  them  to  the  sled,  with  the  surviving  ox  forward, 
to  strongly  guide  them,  and  so  proceeded  on  his  journey. 
They  crossed  Connecticut  River  at  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  on  the  ice,  and  stopped  with  Samuel  Mc- 
Duffee,  on  the  Upper  Plain,  during  the  night.  The  next 
morning  they  took  up  their  abode  in  a  log  house  near  by, 
until  arrangements  could  be  made  to  move  to  a  lot  which 
he  had  secured  on  the  west  side  of  Wright's  Mountain, 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days. 

THEIR   CHILDREN. 

1.  Henry  married  Abigail  Page,  and  settled  in  New- 
bury.  They  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  Matil 
da  married  Isaiah  Woodward,  of  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  and  af 
ter  his  decease,  G-eorge  Whipple.  Daniel  married  Louisa 
Baldwin,  of  Newbury,  and  settled  in  Corinth.  They  had 


six  children,  Abbie,  Charles,  Francena,  George,  Hylas 
and  Lula.  Mr.  Simpson,  their  father,  died  May  17,  1874. 
Jemima,  daughter  of  Henry,  married  Newall  Tabor,  set 
tled  in  Haverhill,  and  had  one  daughter  and  four  sons. 
Orrin7  her  brother,  married  Martha  Caswell,  of  Fairlee, 
settled  in  Haverhill,  and  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children. 
Of  Henry  F.,  his  brother,  we  have  no  account. 

2.  William  Simpson,  second  son  of  Alexander,  mar 
ried  Polly  Page,  a  sister  of  his  brother  Henry's  wife,  and 
settled  in  Bradford,  near  his  father,  and  had  twelve  chil 
dren,  namely :  Thaddeus,  Cornelius,  Cordelia,  Albert, 
Avarissa,  Samantha,  Adaline,  William,  Reuben,  Alonzo, 
and  George.  Of  these  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  eld 
est  son  has  remained  unmarried,  with  his 'parents,  who  at 
this  date  (June,  1874)  are  still  living.  Harriet  married 
John  Platt,  and  settled  in  Haverhill.  Cornelius  married 
his  cousin,  Susan  Simpson,,  of  Topsham,  and  has  one  child. 
Cordelia  married  Amos  Flanders,  and  settled  in  Manches 
ter,  N.  H.  Reuben  married  Etta  Prince,  settled  in  Brad 
ford,  and  has  three  children.  George  married  Lucia 
Hutchins,  settled  in  Newbury,  and  has  one  child.  Wil 
liam  Simpson  represented  tl}is  town  in  the  State  Legisla 
ture  of  1800. 

3  and  4.  Nancy  and  Jane  were  twin  daughters  of 
Alexander  Simpson  and  wife.  Jane  died  in  maidenhood. 
Her  sister  Nancy  married  Daniel  Page,  settled  in  Haver 
hill,  and  had  two  sons  and  four  daughters. 

5.  John  Simpson,  the  next  in  this  original  family,  mar 
ried  Lydia  Crook,  settled  in  Topsham,  and  had  two  sons 
and  two  daughters. 

6.  Betsey  Simpson  married  Samuel  Page,  settled  in 
Corinth,  and  had  a  large  family. 

7.  Mary  Simpson,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Alexander 
and  wife,  died  unmarried. 

A  singular  incident,  related  to  the  writer  by  Mr.  Thad- 
deus  Simpson,  seems  worth  repeating  here.  He  said  it 
19 


282 

once  occurred  that  a  horse  belonging  to  his  father,  having 
been  turned  out  to  graze,  was  missing.  Diligent  search 
was  made  for  it,  not  only  on  the  premises  and  through 
the  neighborhood,  but  more  extensively,  without  success. 
After  more  than  a  week  of  search,  not  the  slightest  intel 
ligence  could  be  obtained  of  its  whereabouts,  or  of  its 
having  been  seen.  It  was,  therefore,  but  natural  to  sup 
pose 'that  it  must  have  been  stolen  in  the  night,  and  taken 
to  some  remote  place.  But  one  day  when  he,  Thaddeus, 
was  out  on  the  farm,  he  heard  a  sound  which  seemed  like 
the  faint  neighing  of  a  horse,  under  the  ground.  He 
listened,  and  with  anxiety  approached  the  spot  from  which 
the  sound  seemed  to  come.  To  his  astonishment,  he  per 
ceived  the  head  of  a  living  horse,  raised  just  a  little  above 
the,  surface  of  the  earth  !  And  there,  in  a  deep  potato- 
hole,  he  found  the  lost  horse,  still  alive,  though  for  some 
twelve  days  it  had  been  without  any  nourishment  what 
ever,  beyond  the  merest  pittance  of  grass  which  it  had 
been  able  to  reach  without  changing  its  position.  The 
earth  Avas  speedily  dug  away,  so  as  to  give  a  path  of  es 
cape,  the  horse  was  brought  safely  out,  and  lived  to  do 
still  good  service,  and,  wiser  than  some  released  prison 
ers,  was  cautious  ever  after  not  to  be  so  venturesome  as 
to  tall  again  into  the  same  or  any  similar^.  He  said 
there  could  be  no  doubt  in  regard  to  the  time  when  the 
horse  fell  into  the  hole,  as  they  had  been  using  it  the  very 
day  before  it  disappeared. 

DEACON  JACOB   COLBY  AND   FAMILY. 

Jacob  Colby  was  a  native  of  Newtown,  Rockingham 
County,  N.  H.,  born  February  15,  1772.  He  was  married 
to  Polly  Huntington,  of  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  in  February, 
1796.  They  lived  in  Hanover  till  March,  1802,  when  they 
removed  to  this  town,  and  took  up  their  abode  on  a  pecul 
iarity  retired,  uncultivated  lot  on  the  South  bank  of  Wait's 


283 

River,  in  the  western  part  of  Bradford.  Their  first  habi 
tation  was  constructed  of  logs,  the  roof  covered  with  elm 
bark,  and  the  floor  laid  with  planks  which  had  been 
washed  from  a  bridge  in  the  east  'part  of  Corinth,  and 
swept  as  drift-wood  down  the  stream.  In  this  humble 
tenement  they  lived  for  about  six  years,  when  they  en 
tered  their  new  and  more  commodious  house^  now  (in 
1874),  still  standing,  in  which  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  In  the  course  of  time  a  well  traveled  high 
way  from  Bradford  village  to  Corinth,  leading  on  to  Chel 
sea,  was  opened  along  Wait's  River  and  its  Southern 
Branch,  which,  passing  through  the  Colby  homestead, 
made  it  quite  a  noted  place.  Mr.  Colby  was  by  occupa 
tion  a  mason,  as  well  as  a  farmer,  and  in  that  capacity 
very  helpful  to  the  new  settlers  engaged  in  building  for 
themselves  better  houses.  He  had  invariably  sustained 
the  reputation  of  a  sensible,  honest  man,  and  on  becoming 
hopefully  pious,  and  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  so 
called,  in  the  north-western  section  of  Bradford,  was  con 
stituted  a  Deacon  in  the  same,  and  thenceforth  bore  that 
honorable  title.  Mrs.  Colby,  his  good  wife,  died  in  this 
town,  December,  1850,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  The 
Deacon  died  in  1858,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz  : 

1.  Jacob  Curtis,  born  November  27  1796, 

2.  Enoch,  born   December  5,  1798. 

3.  Lucia,  born  September  18,  1801. 

4.  Lorena,  born  January  4,  1804. 

5.  Moody,  born  May  6,  1806. 

6.  Lavina,  born  May  26,  1807. 

Of  the  various  fortunes  of  this  family  we  are  able  to 
give  only  the  following  brief  notices.  Enoch  Colby  be 
came  a  mariner,  and  died  at  sea,  in  the  year  1823. 

The  sisters  Lorena  and  Lavina  Colby  lived  to  be  young 
ladies,  but  died  unmarried. 


2S4 

Moody  Colby  married  Elizabeth  Taylor,  of  Jaffrey,  N. 
H.  He  was  for  some  years  Post  Master  at  Bradford,  and 
owned  a  house  near  the  north  end  of  the  village,  where 
his  widow  still  resides.  Mr.  Colby  died  there  July,  1862, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  They  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  surviving  son,  Henry 
B.,  left  this  place  years  since,  for  the  life  of  a  mariner ; 
but  at  this  date,  1874,  is  understood  to  be  settled  on  a 
desirable  plantation  in  California. 

Lucia  married  Allen  W.  Colby,  of  Plainfield,  N.  H. 
They  had  three  children.  The  husband  and  children  have 
all  deceased.  She  has  a  grandson,  Edward  H.  Doten,  re 
siding  at  St.  Johnsbury.  The  widow  is  still  living  in  this 
village,  near  the  residence  of  her  eldest  brother. 

Jacob  Curtis  Colby,  the  eldest  son  of  Deacon  Colby, 
has  for  several  years  resided  in  this  village,  and  has  spent 
not  the  whole,  but  fifty-two  years,  of  his  life  in  this  town. 
His  first  wife  was  Sarah  D.  Johnson,  of  Meriden,  N.  H., 
who  died  in  1850.  By  her  he  had  four  daughters.  The 
eldest,  Mary  H.,  married  Rufus  F.  Ormsby,  of  this  town. 
For  further  notice  see  the  Ormsby  family.  Sarah  J.  mar 
ried  Charles  Page,  of  East  Corinth.  Lorena  and  Helen 
L.,  both  married,  are  living  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Colby  was  again  married  January,  1853,  to 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Corliss,  of  Lyme,  N.  H.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Zoe  E.,  who  as  a  teacher  has  rendered  impor 
tant  service  to  the  public. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Colby,  her  father,  was  also  a  well  known 
teacher  of  common  schools.  He  taught  for  thirty  consec 
utive  Winter  terms ;  seven  of  them  in  the  same  school  at 
Bradford  Center  He  also  worked  there  for  fifteen  Sum 
mer  seasons  at  the  business  of  carding  and  cloth  dressing, 
thus  ministering  to  the  physical  as  well  as  intellectual 
wants  of  the  families  around  him,  and  has  served  the 
town  in  the  capacity  of  a  Selectman  for  the  years  1848, 


285 

1849,  and  1850,  and  as  a  Lister  for  two  or  three  years. 
Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due. 

THE   GREENLEAF  FAMILY, 

Samuel  Greenleaf  came  from  Nottingham,  N.  H.,  about 
the  year  1791,  and  bought  a  farm  here,  which  is  still  well 
known  as  the  Greenleaf  place,  about  a  half-mile  south  of 
what  is  now  called  "  Goshen  meeting  house."  He  built 
there  a  substantial  farm  house,  which  was  long  occupied 
by  himself  and  family.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Hannah  Rowe.  She  was  a  sister  of  Captain  Elijah  Rowe, 
of  the  same  neighborhood.  They  had  a  healthy,  enter 
prising  family  of  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom 
we  are  able  to  give  only  the  following  brief  notices  : 

1.  Dolly  Greenleaf  married,-  as  second  wife,  John  Mc- 
Duffee,  Esq.,  and  had  two  sons,  well  and  honorably  known 
in  Bradford.     See  the  McDuffees. 

2.  Polly  Greenleaf  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 

3.  Lowell  Greenleaf  married  Betsey  Davis,  of  this 
town,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters.     Julia  married, 
and  settled  in  the  State  of  Maine.     Her  sister  Melissa 
married  Sargeant  T.  George,  a  merchant  in  this  village, 
whose  daughter  Orissa  J.  married  John  B.  W.  Prichard,  a 
merchant  here,  and  her  sister  Orinda  A.  married  John  E. 
Shaw,  of  Summerville,  Mass.      Mr.  Lowell  Greenleaf's 
second  wife  was  Anne  Wyman.     They  had  two  daugh 
ters,  Betsey  Anne  and  Emily ette,  and  a  son,  Lowell  Green- 
leaf,  Jr.     Mr.  G.  married  a  third  wife,  whose  name  is  not 
given. 

4.  Hannah  Greenleaf  married  Jacob  Corliss,  of  Brad 
ford,  a  son  of  Captain  Emerson  Corliss.     They  had  one 
son  and  one  daughter. 

5.  Phillips  Greenleaf  married  Sally  Stevens,  of  the 
same  neighborhood,  and  had  a  son  and  daughter.      He 
married  for  his  second  wife  Eliza  Burnet,  of  Newbury. 


286 

They  had  two  children,  both,  with  their  father,  now  de 
ceased. 

6.  Silver  Greenleaf  was  by  occupation  a  tanner  and 
currier.     He  migrated  to  the  State  of  Maine,  and  estab 
lished  himself  in  business  in  the  town  of  Freedom,  Waldo 
County.     He  married  Miss  Rhoda  Freeman.     They  had 
three  children.     Of  these,  Mary  H.  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  and  Charles  Henry,  aged  ten  years — both 
died  of  diptheria,  the  same  day.     Mr.  Greenleaf  returned 
to  Bradford  in  September,  1868,  where  his  only  surviv 
ing  daughter,  an  interesting  and  good  girl,  Olive,  died  in 
June,  1871,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.     Mr.  Green- 
leaf's  eyesight,  which  had  .  for  years  been  growing  dim, 
entirely  failed  in  the  summer  of  1865,  since  which  he  has 
remained  in  physical,  but  not  in  intellectual  or  moral, 
darkness,   habitually   manifesting   that   meek   and    quiet 
spirit  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price.     To 
him  it  has  been  a  great  blessing  that  ha  has  had  so  good 
a  wife,  to  lead  him  to  the  houses  of  his  friends,  and  es 
pecially  to  the  places  of  religious  worship,  where  he  has 
loved  to  go,  and  to  take  in  every  way  such  tender  and 
faithful  care  of  him,  under  this  dark  and  trying  dispensa 
tion. 

7.  Sally  Greenleaf  married  Reuben  Kent,  of  Piermont, 
N.  H.     Mr.  Kent  subsequently  bought  the  farm  formerly 
owned  by  Captain  Russell  Andross,  on  the  Lower  Plain, 
in  this  town,  where  they  now  live. 

8.  La vina  Greenleaf  married  John  Celley,  of  Corinth, 
a  worthy  man  and  prosperous  farmer  there.     They  have 
one  daughter,  the  wife  of  Nelson  Worthley,  of  that  town. 

9.  Melissa   Greenleaf  married  Amos"  White,  a  pious 
man  and  industrious  farmer,  in  Topsham,  where  he  lived 
and  died.     They  had  two  daughters  and  two  sons.     Miss 
Lydia  E.  White  has  been  a  successful  assistant  teacher  in 
Bradford  Academy,  for  several  years.     Her  sister  Han 
nah  married  James  Woodward,  a  merchant  in  Chicago, 


287 

formerly  of  this  place.  They  have  two  children.  Carlos 
White,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  author  of  a  val 
uable  book  on  the  rights  of  women,  lives  in  California,  is 
married,  and  has  two  children.  His  brother,  Byron  N. 
White,  entered  Dartmouth  College,  but  on  the  death  of 
hig  father  found  it  necessary  to  leave  before  graduation. 
He  has  for  some  time  been  engaged  in  teaching,  in  Iowa. 
Mrs.  White,  the  mother,  is  expected  to  take  up  her  per 
manent  residence  in  this  village. 

Mr.  Samuel  Greenleaf,  the  father  of  this  somewhat 
large  family  bearing  his  name,  died  in  Washington,  Vt., 
and  his  wife  in  Bradford,  both  in  honored  old  age. 
Their  son  Silver  Greenleaf,  and  five  daughters,  namely : 
Mrs.  McDufFee,  Corliss,  Kent,  Celley  and  White,  have 
survived  them,  and  all  at  this  date,  March,  1874,  remain 
estimable  citizens  of  Bradford. 

THE   CORLISS   FAMILIES. 

The  remotest  ancestor  bearing  this  name,  of  whom  the 
present  generation  of  his  posterity  have  any  knowledge, 
was  George  Corliss,  of  England,  born  in  the  year  1617. 
He  emigrated  to  Massachusetts  in  1639,  and  married,  in 
1645,  Joanna  Davis,  who  was  also  from  England.  He  was 
by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  commenced  operations  on  a 
lot  which  he  purchased  of  the  Indians,  within  the  sub 
sequent  limits  of  Haverhill,  a  year  before  the  first  settlers 
secured  their  corporate  right  to  a  tract  sufficient  for  a 
township.  That  town  was  incorporated  in  1645.  On 
that  same  farm  George  Corliss  and  wife  continued  to  live, 
during  the  remainder  of  their  days  ;  and  by  successive 
heirs,  bearing  the  same  family  name,  it  has  since  been 
owned  and  occupied  for  six  or  seven  generations.  That 
original  couple  had  one  son,  and  seven  daughters.  This 
son,  whose  name  was  John ;  born  in  1647,  married  Mary 
Milford  in  1684  ;  and  had  four  sons  ;  John,  Thomas,  Timo- 


288 

thy  and  Jonathan,  whose  posterity  became  so  numerous 
that  so  long  ago  as  in  the  year  1819  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  number  of  males  of  this  descent  then  living  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  was  about  five  hundred. 

The  genealogy  of  the  three  Corliss  brothers  who  emi- 
'grated  to  this  town,  and  settled  on  farms  in  the  western 
part  of  the  same,  is  reckoned  as  follows,  in  a  direct  line 
of  descent  from  father  to  son:  1.  George  Corliss,  the 
emigrant  from  England;  2.  John  Corliss,  above  men 
tioned  ;  3.  Timothy  Corliss,  son  of  John,  born  at  Haver- 
hill,  Mass.,  in  1793  ;  married  Sarah  Hutchins,  and  removed 
to  Weare,  N.  H. 

4.  Jeremiah  Corliss,  his  son,  born  in  1734,  at  Weare, 
probably. 

5.  Jeremiah,  Peletiah,  and  David,  three  sons  of  Jere 
miah   above  named,  emigrated  to   Bradford  in   the  year 
1800,  and  of  each  of  them,  with  his  family,  such  informa 
tion  will  now  be  given  as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain. 

The  eldest  of  these  three  brothers,  Jeremiah,  born  at 
Weare,  N.  H.,  July  2d,  1763,  married  Polly  Philbrick. 
They  had  seven  children,  who  lived  to  marry  and  have 
families  of  their  own,  as  follows : 

1.  Hannah,  married  Edward  Austin,  of  Bradford,  and 
died,  leaving  a  large  family,  in  Illinois. 

2.  Isaac,   married   Abigail  Newell,  of  Bradford,   and 
died  in  Wisconsin.     They  had  one  son,  who  was  drowned. 

3.  David,  married   Dolly  Blake,  of  Andover,  N.  H. 
They  live  in  Wisconsin.     Have  several  children. 

4.  Evan,  married  Polly  Blake,  of  Andover.     One  son. 

5.  Jeremiah,  Jr.,  married  and  died  in  Wisconsin. 

6.  Lydia,  married  David  McKillips,  of  this  town.    They 
removed  to  Indiana. 

7.  Eebecca  went  to  Indiana ;    married  there,  and  re 
moved  to  Kansas.     They  have  a  large  family. 

After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  the  above  named  chil 
dren,  Mr.  Jeremiah  Corliss  married  Hannah  Martin,  a 


289 

daughter  of  Deacon   Reuben  Martin,  of  this  town,  and 
had  two  daughters  and  one  son,  namely : 

8.  Mary,  married    George    W.   Welton,   of  Bradford 
Center,  and  had  a  family. 

9.  Anna  M.,  married  William  Aldrich,  of  this  town, 
May  28,  1862 ;  and  her  good  mother  spent  the  evening  of 
her  days  at  their  pleasant  home,  near  the  village,  and  died 
there,  November,  1867. 

10.  Edwin  F.,  married  Ellen  M.  Stone,  of  Cabot,  Vt., 
and  migrated  to  Wisconsin. 

Jeremiah  Corliss,  the  father  of  this  large  family,  died 
at  his  home  in  Bradford,  December,  1841,  in  his  seventy- 
ninth  year. 

Peletiah  Corliss,  the  next  younger  brother  of  Jeremiah, 
was  born  at  Weare,  N.  H.,  in  1770,  January  the  29th. 
He  married  Sarah  Sanborn,  and  removed  to  this  town  in 
1800.  He  purchased  and  for  many  years  occupied  a  farm 
on  the  South  road,  the  same  now  owned  by  Jesse  Wor- 
then ;  but  afterwards  bought  the  Severance  place,  in  the 
north-western  corner  of  the  town,  where  he  kept  a  hotel, 
as  there  was  then,  as  well  as  now,  a  good  deal  of  travel 
on  the  stage  road  between  Bradford  and  Montpelier. 
Mr.  Corliss  died  there,  March  26,  1828,  in  the  fifty-ninth 
year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Corliss,  his  wife,  died  August  18, 
1844,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  They  had  a  family  of 
six  sons  and  five  daughters,  namely : 

1.  Susan,  born  December  10,  1790,  married  Winthrop 
Green,  of  Corinth,  and  died  in  July,  1862. 

2.  Hannah,  born  June  30, 1792,  married  Flavel  Bliss, 
of  this  town,  and  died  December  3,  1859. 

3.  Mary,  born   February  22,  1794,  married   Michael 
Stevens,  of  Corinth  ;    died,  January,  1827  ;    left  two  chil 
dren. 

5.  Mehitabel,  born  January  7,  1798,  married  Goulds- 
bourne  Taplin,  of  Corinth.     They  have  several  children. 

6.  John  B.,  born  September  24,  1799,  married,  first, 


290 

Hepzibah  Taplin,  of  Corinth  ;  and  for  his  second  wife, 
Annaritta  Underwood,  of  this  town.  His  homestead  was 
at  the  South  side  of  Wright's  Mountain,  near  Wait's 
River.  He  died  October  5,  1850.  His  widow,  at  this 
date  (1874),  was  still  living. 

7.  Daniel,  born  December  16,  1802.     He  married  a 
Miss  Caroline  Taplin,  of  Corinth,  a  sister  of  G-ouldsbourne 
T.,  above  mentioned;  became  a  practicing  physician  in 
Montpelier,  and  died  there,  October  17,  1850. 

8.  William  P.,  born  August  24,  1804,  died  March  27, 
1827. 

9.  George  W.,  born  September  10,  1806,  died  Sep 
tember  21,  1825. 

10.  David  Sanborn,  born  September  25, 1809,  married 
Emily,  daughter  of  Rufus  F.  Ormsby,  of  this  town.    They 
removed  to  Missouri,  where  he  died  April  21,  1863. 

11.  Sarah  Ann,  born  August  25,  1814,  married  Jonas 
Clark,  and  died  April  5,  1858. 

4.  Of  Peletiah,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  in  this  family,  let 
the  following  notice,  which  appeared  in  our  village  paper, 
soon  after  his  decease,  suffice.  He  was  born  February 
14,  1796. 

DIED. 

In  Bradford,  Yt.,  April  9,  1874,  Mr.  Peletiah  Corliss,  in 
the  79th  year  of  his  age.  - 

He  was  a  native  of  Andover,  N.  H.,  and,  at  the  age  of 
four  years,  came  here  with  his  father,  Peletiah  Corliss, 
and  family,  and  thence  remained  till  his  decease,  a  period 
of  seventy-four  years.  He  was  in  active  life  a  farmer 
and  inn-keeper,  in  the  north-western  corner  of  the  town, 
on  the  stage  road  leading  to  Montpelier ;  but  for  several 
years  has  lived  in  the  village,  in  delicate  health,  taking 
life,  with  its  infirmities  and  cares,  as  quietly  as  possible. 
He  was,  for  the  mildness  of  his  disposition,  his  pleasant 
conversation,  strict  honesty,  and  exemplary  morality, 
justly  esteemed  as  a  good  neighbor  and  worthy  citizen. 


291 

His  last  sickness,  which  was  severe  and  somewhat  pro 
tracted,  was  borne  with  signal  patience  and  resignation 
to  the  divine  will,  and  its  end  was  peace. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Corliss,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Jackman,  of  Corinth,  died  in  February,  1853.  He  left  at 
his  decease  one  son,  Charles  P.  Corliss,  a  watchmaker 
and  jeweller,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  three  daughters, 
namely :  Sabra  T.,  wife  of  Rodney  Richardson,  of  Corinth ; 
Susan  J.,  wife  of  Samuel  H.  Grow,  of  Bradford ;  and  Miss 
Mary  Ann,  the  eldest,  who  had  long  taken  the  most  kind 
and  faithful  care  of  her  father,  and  in  his  last  sickness,  day 
and  night,  ministered  to  him  with  admirable  assiduity 
and  tenderness. 

His  funeral  was  attended  at'  the  house  of  Dr.  Doty, 
where  he  died ;  and  his  remains  laid  to  their  long  repose, 
by  those  of  his  wife,  in  Bradford  cemetery — kept  in  re 
membrance  there  by  the  handsome  marble  obelisk  which 
he  had  seasonably  erected.  S.  M.  K. 

David  Corliss,  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers  who 
emigrated  from  New  Hampshire  to  this  town,  in  1800, 
was  born  in  1774.  He  married  Abigail  Taplin,  of  Cor 
inth,  had  by  her  five  children,  removed  to  Topsham,  and 
died  there. 


292 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

John  B.  Peckett  and  family — the  Johnsons,  Willards,  Worthleys, 
Armstrongs,  and  Nelsons. 

JOHN  B.  PECKETT,  ESQ.,  AND  FAMILY. 

Mr.  Peckett  was  of  English  descent.  His  grandfather, 
Giles  Peckett,  in  the  year  1774,  with  his  wife  and  four 
children,  emigrated  from  the  county  of  Yorkshire,  Eng 
land,  to  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Having  remained  there  a  few 
months,  he  removed  to  North  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  and  in  1779 
or  '80  came  to  Bradford,  Yt.,  then  called  Moretown,  to 
find  a  home  for  himself  and  family. 

Edward  Peckett,  a  son  of  these  worthy  parents,  was  fif 
teen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  them  to  this  coun 
try.  In  course  of  time  he  married  Deborah  Barron,  of 
Haverhill,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in  Newbury,  Yt,,  where  he 
died,  leaving  a  widow,  with  six  small  children,  with  slen 
der  means  of  support.  One  of  these  children  was  John 
B.,  the  subject  of  this  notice.  He  was  born  at  Newbury, 
November  29,  1789. 

John  B.  Peckett,  after  his  father's  death,  at  the  early 
age  of  two  years,  was  taken  into  the  family  of  his  grand 
parents,  the  Barrons,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
nine  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Bradford,  to  live  with 
Mr.  Cheney,  on  the  farm  now  (1874)  occupied  by  Mr.  Cy 
rus  Stearns,  and  while  but  a  little  boy  was  taught  the  les 
son  of  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  It 
might  be  an  advantage  to  many  idle  boys  of  these  later 
days  to  be  subjected  to  the  same  Spartan  discipline,  per 
haps  somewhat  modified.  Mrs.  Cheney,  a  daughter  of 
Col.  John  Barron,  of  Bradford,  was  his  mother's  cousin, 
and  with  them  John  B.  no  doubt  found  a  pleasant  home. 

During  his  minority  the  means  of  education  were  ex 
tremely  limited,  but  he,  having  a  strong  mind,  retentive 


293 

memory,  and  a  liberal  share  of  resolution  and  persever 
ance,  obtained  an  amount  of  learning  which  enabled  him 
to  teach  a  common  school  with  success,  and  proved  high 
ly  beneficial  in  after  life. 

When  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Mr.  Peckett  com 
menced  the  business  of  rafting  on  Connecticut  river,  and 
followed  it  as  his  principal  occupation  during  the  appro 
priate  seasons  of  the  twenty-seven  years  next  ensuing. 
The  rafts  were  chiefly  of  pine  timber,  to  be  sawed  or 
hewn,  and  used  for  house  and  ship  building,  the  same  be 
ing  not  unfrequently  piled  with  boards  and  shingles,  and 
dignified  with  a  hut  for  the  accommodation  of  the  rafts 
men.  Having  sold  his  lumber,  generally  at  Hartford,  Ct., 
it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  him  to  return  on  foot,  and, 
still  full  of  energy,  engage  directly  in  preparing  for  an 
other  voyage.  It  is  said  that  when  getting  his  raft  to 
gether  at  Haverhill,  he  would  often  board  at  home,  on  the 
lower  plain  in  Bradford,  going  and  returning  on  foot,  a 
distance  of  some  half  a  dozen  miles,  at  least,  and  be  on 
hand  in  the  morning  before  the  men  on  the  spot  were 
ready  to  begin  their  labors  for  the  day.  Though  not  of  a 
large  and  apparently  strong  body,  he  was  exceedingly 
muscular,  tough  and  energetic.  Hard  work  was  his  habit 
arid  pleasure.  When  at  an  age  when  most  men  feel  used 
up,  he  would  take  his  axe,  in  cold  winter  weather,  and  be 
off  early  in  the  morning  into  the  forest,  to  take  the  lead 
in  the  business  of  logging,  and  to  show  the  young  men 
how  to  work.  He  also  took  great  satisfaction  in  the  va 
rious  operations  of  farming.  When  almost  seventy-nine 
years  of  age,  only  a  few  weeks  before  his  decease,  he  one 
day  held  his  plow,  drawn  by  horses,  till  he  had  turned 
over  three  acres  of  soil. 

While  through  life  mainly  devoted  to  such  laborious 
pursuits,  he  found  time  to  do  a  great  many  other  things. 
At  the  call  of  his  townsmen  he  filled  various  offices  of 
honor  and  trust,  to  their  satisfaction.  He  was  overseer  of 


294 

the  poor  for  thirty  years,  and  represented  his  town  in  the 
State  Legislature  for  the  year  1831 ;  was  elected  Select 
man  and  town  agent  for  several  years ;  was  appointed 
several  times  special  agent  to  construct  bridges,  and  for 
the  building  of  new  highways  ;  and  commissioner  on  sev 
eral  occasions,  by  the  County  Court,  to  lay  out  roads  in 
this  and  other  towns. 

He  was  also  a  firm  friend  and  supporter  of  the  cause  of 
temperance,  and  held  not  only  to  moral  but  to  legal  sua 
sion.  He  believed  in  the  necessity  of  law  to  restrain  in 
temperance,  as  well  as  other  crimes  against  society,  and 
was  for  having  such  enactments  put  into  execution  upon 
reckless  transgressors,  whether  drunkards  or  retailers. 
Industrious,  economical,  and  faithful  to  fulfill  all  his  en 
gagements,  he  wished  to  see  others  so,  and  the  prosperi 
ty  of  not  only  those  about  him,  but  that  of  our  entire 
country  promoted.  He  was  a  firm  advocate  of  freedom 
and  human  rights,  a  friend  and  supporter  of  the  govern 
ment  of  his  country,  and  rejoiced  in  its  triumphant  sup 
pression  of  the  slaveholders'  gigantic  rebellion,  and  the 
universal  emancipation  and  enfranchisement  of  their 
slaves.  In  the  Presidential  election  of  1868  he  took  a 
deep  interest,  and  wished  once  more  to  cast  his  vote  in 
favor  of  the  cause  with  which  he  had  so  long  been  iden 
tified,  but  was  not  able.  He  lived,  however,  to  hear  of, 
and  rejoice  in,  the  result.  He  was  then  confined  to  his 
house  by  a  prostration  which  was  destined  soon  to  termin 
ate  his  long  and  active  lile.  Though  he  had  never  been 
in  the  habit  of  talking  much  about  death  or  eternity,  he 
had  evidently,  for  some  years  been  sensible  that  he  was 
liable  at  any  time  to  be  called  hence,  and  had  arranged  all 
his  secular  affairs  accordingly.  The  disease  which  final 
ly  broke  down  his  strong  constitution,  and  brought  him  to 
the  grave,  seized  upon  his  heart,  paralyzed  his  nervous 
and  muscular  powers,  and  toward  the  last  sadly  affected 
his  once  sound  and  strong  intellectual  capacities.  But 


295 

without  murmuring  he  seemed  resigned  to  his  destiny, 
and  quietly  passed  away  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of 
November,  1868,  in  the  severity-ninth  year  of  his  age, 
having  been  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Bradford  for  sev 
erity  years.  On  the  19th  his  funeral  was  numerously  at 
tended,  especially  by  those  who  for  more  than  half  a 
century  had  been  associated  with  him  in  the  various  cares 
and  comforts  of  life  and  love.  But  few  of  his  age,  in  this 
community,  are  now  remaining.  May  the  evening  of 
their  lives  be  serene,  and  their  eternity  blessed.  "  As  for 
man,  his  days  are  as  grass ;  as  a  flower  of  the  field  so  he 
flourisheth,  for  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone, 
and  the  place  thereof  shall  know  it  no  more." 

As  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Peckett,  it  may  be  remarked 
that  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Tilton,  January  8, 
1817,  an  excellent  Christian  lady,  who  died  suddenly,  De 
cember  23,  1858,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  They 
were  blessed  with  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  One 
daughter  died  in  infancy  ;  their  son  Derrick  died  in  March, 
1851;  Edward  M.  in  June,  1858,  leaving  a  family.  John 
B.  Peckett,  Esq.,  and  family,  and  his  sister,  Martha  F.,the 
wife  of  Col.  J.  C.  Stearns,  still  reside  in  Bradford,  and 
were  able  to  be  with  their  honored  father  in  his  declining 
years,  and  to  do  whatever  could  be  done  for  his  comfort 
when  finally  passing  away. 

John  B.  Peckett,  Esq.,  left  at  his  decease  a  son  bearing 
the  same  name,  of  whom,  and  his  family,  some  account 
will  now  be  given. 

John  B.  Peckett,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Bradford,  Decem 
ber  19,  1822.  After  his  school  days  were  over  he  spent 
several  years  in  mercantile  business,  first  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Mr.  Asa  Low,  and  subsequently  as  partner  with 
Adams  Preston,  Esq.rthree  years. 

Mr.  Peckett  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline 
H.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Asa  Low,  of  this  village,  September 
9,  1847,  and  in  the  year  1853  built  the  nice  brick  cottage 


296 

nearly  opposite  to  the  Congregational  parsonage,  and 
there  resided  for  several  years.  In  1854  he  became  part 
ner  with  Dea.  George  W.  Prichard  and  George  and  E. 
Prichard  in  the  ownership  of  the  valuable  brick  grist-mill, 
and  of  the  saw-mill  therewith  connected,  in  this  village, 
and  has  since  had  the  principal  agency  in  the  manage 
ment  of  the  same.  Those  mills  are  not  only  very  benefi 
cial  to  the  public,  but  have  the  reputation  of  .being  very 
profitable  to  their  proprietors.  Mr.  Peckett,  in  principle 
and  practice  has  been  decidedly  in  favor  of  temperance 
in  this  community,  and  by  diligence  in  business,  econo 
my  in  his  expenses,  and  uprightness  in  his  pecuniary 
transactions,  has  been  prospered  in  his  secular  affairs. 

In  March,  1865,  he  bought  the  beautiful  homestead 
which  he  has  since  occupied  and  still  further  improved,  on 
the  Lower  Plain,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  South  of 
the  principal  hotel  in  this  village.  That  nice  brick  house 
was  built  by  Mr.  John  H.  Richards,  for  his  own  family  oc 
cupancy,  in  the  summer  of  1858. 

Mr.  Peckett  has  not  only  had  business  enough  of  his 
own  to  occupy  his  time,  but  has  been  repeatedly  called  to 
take  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  has  officiated  as 
Town  Treasurer  for  five  years,  and  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  about  twelve  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peckett  have  had  two  sons  and  two  daugh 
ters.  Their  son,  Asa  Low  Peckett,  born  September  1, 
1848,  a  worthy  young  man,  married  Miss  Helen  M. 
Clement,  of  this  town ;  and  is  at  this  date  station  agent 
on  the  Concord  railroad,  at  Nashua,  N.  H.  They  have  one 
child,  a  daughter. 

2.  Caroline  Frances,  born  September  7th,  1853,  grew 
up  a  comely,  amiable,  well  educated,  and  hopefully  pious 
young  lady ;  fond  of  vocal  music,  and  a  competent  teach 
er  of  the  same  ;  and  on  the  8th  of  April,  1874,  became 
the  wife  of  Horace  Berry,  M.  D.,  of  Cambridge,  Mass. 
He  took  her  directly,  with  fair  prospects,  to  her  new 


297 

home  at  Cambridge,  where  he  was  established  in  medical 
practice.  But  in  less  than  one  month,  on  the  fourth  day 
of  May,  1874,  she  was,  by  the  stroke  of  death,  suddenly 
called  away  from  all  the  joys  and  from  all  the  sorrows 
which  might  otherwise  have  been  her  lot  in  life  ;  called, 
it  is  confidently  hoped,  into  the  approving  presence  and 
happy  kingdom  of  that  blessed  Saviour  to  whom  she  had 
years  before  consecrated  herself.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years  and  eight  months,  lacking  three  days. 
Her  remains  were  brought  to  her  native  place  for  sepul 
ture,  and  her  funeral  was  numerously  attended  by  deeply 
sympathizing  relatives  arid  friends. 

3.  John  Barren  Peckett,  born  December  21,  1856,  has 
been  pursuing  a  course  of  education  at  Bradford  Acade 
my,  and  to   this   date  has  remained   at  home  with  his 
parents. 

4.  Martha  Lucinda,  youngest  member  of  the  family  of 
J.  B.  Peckett,  Esq.,  born  January  27,  1859,  died   in  her 
childhood. 

Colonel  John  C.  Stearns  and  wife  occupy  the  pleasant 
homestead,  now  much  improved,  which  was  owned  by  her 
father,  and  are  deserving  of  a  more  satisfactory  notice 
here  than  the  writer  has  been  furnished  with  the  means 
ot  correctly  giving. 

CAPTAIN   HAYNES  JOHNSON  AND  FAMILY. 

This  Johnson  family  were  of  English  origin.  Their 
earliest  ancestor  who  emigrated  to  this  country  was  Wil 
liam  Johnson,  born  at  Kent,  England,  in  the  reign  of 
James  the  I.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  mu 
nicipal  officers  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  which  was  incorpo 
rated  in  1629.  His  wife,  Sarah  Haynes,  is  said  to  have 
been  of  Danish  descent.  This  William  died  in  Charles- 
town,  December  9, 1677,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He 
left  a  son  Thomas,~who  had  a  son  John,  whose  son  Haynes 
20 


298 

lived  for  a  while  in  Newbury,  Vt.,  but  died  in  Concord, 
N.  H.,  September  2,  1775,  leaving  three  sons,  Jonathan, 
Jesse,  and  Hajnes,  the  last  named  being  but  twenty  days 
old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  He  was  born  in 
Newbury,  August  13,  1775. 

In  the  summer  of  1776.  the  young  widow,  then  at  Con 
cord,  took  her  three  little  sons  on  the  same  horse  with 
herself,  and  traveled,  mainly  through  a  wilderness,  about 
thirty  miles,  to  Hempstead,  N.  H.,  to  be  more  out  of  the 
way  of  the  Indians  and  tories.  She  returned  again  to 
Newbury,  Vt.,  and  there  married  Mr.  Remembrance 
Chamberlin,  by  whom  she  had  several  sons  and  daugh 
ters,  who  became  people  of  honorable  distinction  in  New 
bury  and  Bradford. 

Her  son  Haynes,  afterwards  generally  styled  Captain 
Haynes  Johnson,  came  to  Bradford  to  live  in  1798,  when 
about  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  for  two  or  three 
years  cultivated  the  farm  in  Goshen  district  which  Mr. 
John  Hardy  at  this  date  owns  and  occupies.  In  1801  he 
bought  the  fine  river  farm,  in  the  north-east  part  of  the 
town,  on  which  he  remained  an  honest,  industrious  and 
hard-working  farmer,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  married  Miss  Jane  Sawyer,  April  8,  1802,  a  daughter 
of  Captain  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  then  of  Bradford,  but  former- 
ly  of  Rowley,  Mass.  Captain  Johnson  and  wife  became 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford.  He 
built  the  large  house  on  his  farm  which  still  stands  there, 
now  forsaken  of  all  its  former  inmates. 

Captain  Haynes  Johnson  died  November  1,  1863,  aged 
eighty -eight  years ;  Mrs.  Jane  S.  Johnson,  his  widow, 
died  May  21,  1869,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven. 

They  had  a  family  of  ten  children.  One  of  the  daugh  - 
ters  died  in  childhood.  Of  the  four  sons  and  five  daugh 
ters  who  lived  to  maturity,  the  following  notices  are 
deemed  worthy  of  insertion  here.  Their  children  were 
all  natives  of  Bradford. 


299 

1.  Ezekiel  Johnson,  the  eldest  son,  born  September 
26,  1803,  married,  February  27,  1827,  Miss  Nancy  Rod- 
gers,  daughter  of  Samuel  Roclgers,  of  Newbury.  She 
was  born  there,  December  12,  1807.  His  children  by 
this  marriage  were  seven;  all,  with  exception  of  the 
youngest,  natives  of  Bath,  N.  H.,  where  Mr.  Johnson  set 
tled  soon  after  his  marriage,  and  remained  for  about  twelve 
years ;  namely : 

Mary  Elizabeth,  born  January  19,  1828,  was  married, 
at  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  to  Roswell  Fariiham,  of  Bradford,  De 
cember  25,  1849.  Of  Colonel  Farnham  and  family  see 
further  notice  elsewhere  in  this  history. 

Ruth  Ann  Johnson,  bom  January  26,  1830,  married 
Benjamin  B.  Chadwick,  of  Bradford,  April  11,  1850.  He 
at  this  date  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  North 
ern  Michigan. 

Jane,  born  January  14,  1832,  died  in  her  third  year. 

Nancy  Jenny,  born  April  19,  1835,  married  John  H. 
Ruckel,  Esq.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  March  27,  1856.  They 
have  five  children,  Mary  E.,  Adelaide  M.,  John  B.,  and 
Louise  B.  Mr.  Ruckel  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
copper  work  for  vessels  and  steamers  on  the  Lakes. 

Harriet  B.,  born  December  19,  1837,  married  Mortimer 
Bradley,  Esq.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  June  6,  1867.  Their 
children  are  two,  Jennie  Louisa  and  Henry  H. 

Ezekiel  Thomas  Johnson,  born  May  19,  1839,  before  he 
became  of  age  entered  the  office  of  the  Windsor  Journal 
(Vt.),  where  he  became  an  accomplished  printer,  and 
worked  at  that  business  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  private,  August  6, 
1862,  in  Company  H  of  the  Tenth  Vermont  Regiment,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  While  in  command  of  a 
portion  of  the  skirmish  line,  in  the  battle  of  Monocacy, 
Maryland,  July  9,  1864,  he  was  severely  wounded  by  a 
minnie  ball,  which  struck  the  top  of  his  head,  cutting- 
through  the  flesh  to  the  bone  as  it  passed  on.  He  was 


300 

sent  to  a  hospital,  where  he  remained  for  several  months ; 
and  as  soon  as  able  returned  to  his  regiment,  was  com 
missioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  E,  and  the 
next  year,  March  22,  1865,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  G.  Amid  many  perils  and 
hardships,  he  served  his  country  bravely,  and  persevered 
till  the  war  was  successfully  terminated.  Was  honorably 
mustered  out  of  the  service,  June  22,  1865.  He  then 
went  to  Buffalo  and  acquired  a  knowledge  of  book-keep 
ing,  at  the  Commercial  College  there,  and  is  at  this  date 
book-keeper  for  a  firm  of  ship-builders.  He  married 
Sophia  Louise  Bailey,  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  who  died  at  Buf 
falo,  May  17,  1870,  at  the  age  of  twenty- six  years. 

William  Henry,  youngest  son  of  Mr.  Ezekiel  Johnson 
and  his  first  wife,  born  March  7,  1840,  at  Bradford,  Vt., 
married,  first  Virginia  Hartly,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  H. 
Hartly,  of  New  York  City,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh 
ter,  Ann  Eva  Dene.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Adelia 
Lord,  of  Western  New  York,  who  died  at  Buffalo,  July 
27,  1874,  aged  eighteen  years,  leaving  an  infant  son, 
named  Harrison  Foster. 

Mr.  Ezekiel  Johnson,  while  living  in  Bath,  was  called 
to  the  command  of  a  military  company,  and  generally 
styled  Captain,  as  was  his  father  before  him.  He  re 
turned  to  this,  his  native  town,  in  1839,  where  he  has 
since  continued,  an  industrious,  hard-working  and  devot 
edly  Christian  man.  His  pious  and  excellent  wife,  Nancy 
Rodgers,  died  here,  September  11,  1850,  at  the  age  of 
forty -two  years. 

The  children  of  these  parents  have  all  become  hopeful 
ly  pious,  and  members  of  different  churches :  Mrs.  Farn- 
ham  of  the  Congregational  church;  Mrs.  Ruckel  of  the 
Episcopal ;  and  all  the  rest,  with  their  father,  are  mem 
bers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal ;  but  all  united  in  love. 

Mr.  Johnson  married  for  his  second  wife,  March  15, 
1857,  the  widow  Lucy  A.  Southworth,  daughter  of  Benja- 


301 

min  Underwood,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  for  sever 
al  years.  After  her  decease,  he  married  Miss  Ann  Bar- 
net,  of  Newbury,  April  4,  1867,  with  whom  he  is  spend 
ing  the  evening  of  his  life.  The  marriage  rite  in  all 
these  three  instances  was  performed  by  the  same  minis 
ter,  Rev.  S.  McKeen,  Mr.  Johnson's  almost  life-long 
friend.  We  now  return  to  the  original  family. 

2.  Mary,  twin  sister  of  Ezekiel,  born  September  26, 
1803,  married  William  Peters.     See  the  Peters  family. 

3.  Eliza,  born  February  18, 1808,  married  Earle  Paine, 
of  Washington,  Vt.,  April  26,  1835.      She   had   a   son, 
Haynes  J.,  and  a  daughter,  Helen  E.,  who  married  Dan 
iel  Grant,  of  Washington,  June  6, 1868.     He  was  a  widow 
er,  having  at  that  time  three  children,  all  of  whom,  with 
their  father,  died  of  diptheria,  in  the  course  of  one  week, 
in  August,  1874.     Mr.  Grant  left  by  his  second  marriage 
two  young  daughters,  Anna  Evaline  and  Eliza  Emma. 

4.  Haynes  C.  Johnson,  born  April  4,  1811,  married 
Harriet  Willard,  daughter  of  Captain  Israel  Willard,  of 
Bradford.     She  was  born  December  26,  1816,  and  mar 
ried  February  9,  1843.      Mr.  H.   C.  Johnson  owns  the 
northern  half  of  the  large  farm  formerly  possessed  by  his 
father,  and  has  there  on  the  river  road  built  a  nice  brick 
cottage,  with  good  outbuildings,  and  has  a  pleasant  home. 
He  has  two  sons.     Walter  Haynes,  born  July  15,  1847, 
remained  at  home,  working,  when  of  suitable  age,  on  the 
farm  summers,  and  attending  the  district  school  winters, 
until  1866,  when  he  entered  the  Commercial  College  at 
Poughkeepsie,   N.  Y.,  and    there    finished   the   regular 
course ;   after  which  he  returned  home,  taught  two  win 
ters,  and  in  the  spring  of  1868  accepted  the  office  of  Su 
perintendent  of  the  motive  power  business  at  St.  Albans, 
Vt.,  where  he  has  since  remained  connected  with  rail 
road  affairs.     He  married,  June  29,  1870,  Miss  Lizzie  S. 
Whitcomb,  of  Bradford.      They  have  one  child,  Mabel 
Lizzie,  born  September  7,  1872. 


302 

Arthur  Franklin,  second  son  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Johnson,  born 
December  16,  1849,  at  home  schools  and  Montpelier 
Academy  obtained  a  good  business  education,  taught 
school  for  three  winters,  and  then  went  into  business  in 
connection  with  his  brother  at  St.  Albans.  Mrs.  Johnson > 
with  her  two  sons  and  the  eldest  son's  wife,  were  all  mem 
bers  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford. 

5.  Hannah,  born  October  10,  1813,  married   William 
Peters,  widower  of  her  deceased  sister  Mary.     See  Peters 
family. 

6.  "  Thomas  Johnson,  born  December  13, 1816,  married 
Miss  Hattie  Avery,  of  Corinth.     They  have  three  sons, 
Frank,  Charles  and  Herbert  T.      Mr.   Thomas  Johnson 
owns  the  valuable  river  farm  long  known  as  the  Rowell 
place,   overlooked    by   the    celebrated    RowelPs   Ledge, 
which  gives  also  a  fine  view  of  the   surrounding  moun 
tains  of  this  section  of  the  Connecticut  river,  with  its  fer 
tile  meadows  and  thriving  villages. 

7.  Jane  Ann,  born  February  22,  1819,  married   Mr. 
Dan  W.  Shaw,  of  North  Cambridge,  Mass.     See  the  Shaw 
family. 

8.  Clarissa  P.,  born  July  18,  1825,  married  Mr.  John 
Richardson,  of  Orford,  N.  H.,  November  10,  1858.     They 
have  a  pleasant  homestead  on  the  river  road  in  that  town, 
and  a  family  of  five  interesting  children,  namely :     Clara 
Alice,  John  Fred,  Arthur   Johnson,  Willie  Martin,  and 
Emma  Louisa. 

9.  Edmund  Elliot,  born  November  27,  1827,  owns  and 
resides  on  the.  southern  half  of  the  old  farm  formerly  pos 
sessed  by  his  father,  on  which  he  has  built  a  nice  -cottage, 
and  is  pleasantly  situated.     He  married  Miss  Mary  Smith, 
of  Newbury,  and  has  one  daughter,  Lizzie.     He  is  leader 
of  the  choir  in  the  Methodist  Church,  and  at  this  date 
one  of  the  Selectmen  of  Bradford  to  whose  care  the  pub 
lication  of  this  History  is  by  vote  of  the  town  entrusted. 
Thus  end  our  reminiscences  of  this  family. 


303 

i 

FAMILY   OF  JESSE  JOHNSON; 

Jesse  Johnson,  the  next  elder  brother  of  Capt.  Haynes 
Johnson,  of  whom  some  account  has  just  been  given, 
was  a  son  of  Haynes  Johnson  and  wife,  born  at  Newbury, 
Vt.,  March  27,  1773.  He  married  Elizabeth  Sawyer,  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  of  Bradford.  They 
were  united  in  marriage  by  Rev.  Gardner  Kellogg,  March 
19,  1807.  She  was  a  native  of  Rowley,  Mass.,  born  Jan 
uary  13,  1775.  Mr.  Johnson  owned  and  occupied  a  good 
river  -farm  in  Bradford,  bordering  on  the  south  side  of 
Newbury,  and  there  kept  a  house  for  the  entertainment  of 
travelers  for  several  years,  and  died  there,  July  18,  1830, 
in  the  54th  year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Johnson,  his  widow, 
died  at  the  house  of  Moses  Chamberlin,  her  son-in-law, 
May  23,  1855,  in  the  81st  year  of  her  age. 

These  parents  left  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  The 
first  foifr  of  their  children  were  born  in  Newbury,  and 
the  last  two  in  this  town.  Of  these  children  we  are  able 
to  give  only  the  following  brief  account. 

1.  Jesse  Johnson,  Jr.,  born  May  6,  1808,  married  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  Captain  Ellis  Bliss,  of  Bradford.  He  pur 
chased  a  valuable  farm  in  Fairlee,  and  there  lived  till  his 
decease,  which  occurred  March  2, 1866,  in  the  fifty-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  Mr  and  Mrs.  Johnson  had  four  daugh 
ters  and  two  sons,  namely  : 

Martha  Elizabeth,  born  September  22,  1845,  died  April 
10, 1869,  in  her  twenty-fourth  year. 

Mary  Ellen,  born  April  16,  1847. 

Sarah  French,  born  May  11,  1849,  died  April  4,  1868, 
in  her  nineteenth  year. 

Jesse  R.,  born  March  20,  1852,  died  in  infancy. 

Abby  Wright,  born  June  3,  1854. 

Penniman,  the  youngest  child,  born  June  6,  1856,  died 
June  10,  1860,  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

After  the  decease  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Johnson  re- 


304 

turned,  with  the  remnant  of  her  family,  to  Bradford,  where 
at  this  date  she  is  still  living ;  her  daughters  Mary  E. 
and  Abby  W.  having  their  home  with  her. 

2.  Elliot  P.  Johnson,  born  December  19, 1809,  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of   Alva  Taylor,  of   Bradford,  May  6, 
1841,  and  removed  to  Orford,  N.  H.,  where  he  possesses, 
at  this  date,  a  good  farm  on  the  river,  below  the  village. 
They  have  at  this  writing  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Jesse,  the  eldest  son,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College, 
studied  law,  and  is  settled  in  the  practice  of  it  in  the  city 
of  New  York. 

Alva  T.  and  Edmund,  his  brother,  reside  in  the  same 
city,  engaged  in  the  market  business. 

Orpha,  the  daughter,  remains  with  her  parents  at  Or 
ford. 

3.  Elizabeth  A.,  born  August  27,   1811.     Since  the 
death  of  her  parents  has  had  her  home  with  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Chamberlin,  of  Bradford. 

4.  Jonathan  Johnson,  born  August  22,  1813,  married 
Abigail  Willard,  daughter  of   Captain  Israel  Willard,  of 
Bradford,  February,   1845.      She  died  in  the  fifty-third 
year  of  her  age,  March   13,  1872,  leaving  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely : 

Willard  C.,  born  April  4,  1846.  He  married  Mary 
Smith,  of  Corinth,  resides  in  Bradford,  engaged  in  agri 
cultural  pursuits  with  his  father. 

Julia  A.,  born  April  3,  1848,  still  at  her  parental  home. 

Moody,  born  July  22,  1851,  a  clerk  at  mercantile  busi 
ness. 

Laura  L.,  born  October  24,  1853,  married  E.  S.  Peaslee, 
who  is  engaged  in  livery  business  here. 

Eva  E.,  the  youngest  member  of  this  family,  born  Jan 
uary  25,  1858,  at  home  with  her  father. 

5.  Remembrance  C.  Johnson,  born  in  Bradford,  No 
vember  28,  1814,  was  for  several  years  proprietor  and 


305 

keeper  of  the  Vermont  House  in  this  village^  and  is  still 
resident  here. 

6.  Ruby  S.  Johnson^  born  here  January  29,  1819, 
married  Moses  R.  Chamberlin,  September  24,  1840,  who 
owns  and  occupies  the  valuable  homestead  formerly  pos 
sessed  by  his  father,  on  the  Upper  Plain  in  Bradford. 
They  have  at  this  date  one  son,  Benjamin  Franklin,  who 
married  Abby,  daughter  of  George  Monson,  of  this  place. 
He  is  engaged  in  farming  business  with  his  father.  The 
daughters,  Martha,  Elizabeth,  and  Ruby,  are  still  with 
their  parents.  John  Westly,  a  promising  boy,  came  to  his 
death  by  accidental  drowning. 

It  seems  proper  to  add  here  that  Jonathan  Johnson, 
brother  of  Jesse  and  Haynes,  early  settlers  in  Bradford, 
married  Hannah  Sawyer,  a  sister  of  the  wives  of  his  two 
brothers,  and  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood  with  them, 
though  within  the  limits  of  Newbury,  where  they  lived 
and  died,  leaving  one  son,  Haynes  Johnson,  who  gradu 
ated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1822,  became  a  worthy  min 
ister  of  the  Methodist  order,  married  a  Miss  Stevens,  of 
Newbury,  and  died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  leav 
ing  two  sons,  Jonathan  and  Simeon  Stevens,  the  latter  of 
whom  became  an  attorney-at-law,  married  Miss  Ellen 
Bailey,  formerly  of  Fairlee,  and  is  settled  at  Jefferson, 
Indiana. 

CAPT.  ISRAEL  WILLARD,  AND  FAMILY 

Israel  Willard  was  a  native  of  Sterling,  Mass.,  born 
March  2d,  1777.  He  remained  with  his  father,  engaged 
in  agriculture,  till  very  nearly  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
when  he  learned  the  business  of  chair-making,  and  com 
menced  operations  here  in *1804  or  5.  His  shop  was  on 
Roaring  Brook,  near  its  confluence  with  the  Connecticut. 
Being  very  devoted  to  his  occupation,  and  having  no  com- 
.petitor,  he  did  quite  a  large  and  profitable  business  for 


306 

many  years.  He  was  a  man  decidedly  honest,  very  kind- 
heartedj  strictly  temperate,  and  very  exemplary  in  con 
versation  and  conduct.  He  married  Miss  Abigail  Cum- 
mings,  of  Leicester,  Mass.,  March  2,  1806,  with  whoin  he 
lived  happily  nearly  twenty-four  years,  when  she  died 
May  13,  1830,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  her  age.  They 
had  seven  children,  namely  : 

L  Laiira^  born  February  5,  1807;  married  John  E. 
Chamberliri,  of  Newbury,  where  she  resided  during  the 
remainder  of  her  life,  and  had  four  sons  and  two  daugh 
ters. 

2.  Israel  Cummings  Willard,  born  July  2,  1809  ;  mar 
ried  Miss  Ruth  Jane  Colby,  of  Bradford,  September  1, 
1852.  She  died  April  11,  1855. 

Mr.  Willard  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Apphia 
Durgan,  widow  lady,  a  sister  of  Capt.  B.  Celley,  of  Fair- 
lee,  June  27,  1861.  They  own  and  occupy  the  pleasant 
homestead  formerly  possessed  by  his  father.  .  That  brick 
dwelling  house  was  buiit  by  Capt.  Willard  in  the  year 
1822.  Mr.  I.  C.  Willard,  a  worthy  man,  was  by  occupa 
tion  a  farmer. 

3  and  4.     Two  daughters,  who  died  in  their  infancy. 

5.  Harriet  Wilhrd,  born  December  26,  1816;  married 
Haynes  C.  Johnson,  of  Bradford.     See  the  Johnson  fam- 

iiy- 

6.  Abigail,  born  October  15,  1819;  married  Jonathan 
Johnson  of  this  town.     See  Johnson  family. 

7.  Lydia  Willard,  born  October  15,  1823;  died  Janua 
ry  4,  1850  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  her  age.     She 
was  a  fine  singer,  had  remembered  her  Creator  in  the  days 
of  her  youth,  and  was  much  beloved  by  those  who  knew 
her. 

Capt.  Israel  Willard,  the  father  of  this  family,  married 
for  his  second  wife,  October  6, 1831,  the  widow  Mehitable 
Sanders,  of  Newbury,  a  sister  of  Capt.  Moses  Chamber- 
lin,  of  this  town,  and  an  estimable  lady.  She  died  March 


307 

13,  1849,  aged  sixty-five  years.  Capt.  Willard  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days  With  his  son  and  Wife,  kindly  cared 
for,  and  died  August  16,  1865,  in  the  89th  year  of  his 
age.  His  mental  as  well  as  bodily  powers  had  considera 
bly  failed,  but  he  still  ielt  that  his  Saviour  was  most  prec 
ious,  and  peacefully  died,  trusting  in  Him.  This  good 
man,  and  both  of  his  wives,  and  his  daughter  Harriet,  and 
his  son  Israel  C.,  were  all  members  of  the  same  church, 
Congregational.  The  son's  wife  is  a  worthy  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  in  this  place,  but  of  the  same  spirit 
with  her  husband. 

THE  WORTHLEYS. 

Jesse  Worthley,  of  Weare,  N.  H.,  married  Judith  Calif, 
of  Kingston,  in  that  State,  and  removed  to  Bradford,  Vt., 
about  the  year  1798.  He  bought  and  settled  on  a  farm 
some  four  or  five  miles  back  from  the  village,  in  the  South 
west  part  of  the  town,  and  there  raised  up  a  family  of 
three  sons  and  as  many  daughters,  namely : 

1.  Mary,  who  married  Samuel  Graves. 

2.  Jesse,  Jr.,  married  Lavina  Ainsworth,  and  had  two 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

3.  Benjamin  Lewis,  who  married  Eliza  Ann  Dearborn, 
and  by  her  had  two  daughters.     The  elder  of  whom,  Su 
san  Green,  married  George  S.  Howe,  of  Concord,  Vt.,  and 
the  younger,  Lucy  Ann,  married  Ira  A.  Merrill,  of  Cor 
inth. 

After  the  decease  of  their  mother,  Mr.  Worthley  mar 
ried  for  his  second  wife  the  widow  Osmore,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Emily  Coburn,  and  had  a  daughter  Emily,  mar 
ried,  and  a  son,  John  Lewis.  After  the  decease  of  his 
second  wife,  Mr.  Worthley  married  the  widow  Susan  Tap- 
lin,  of  Corinth,  with  whom  (August,  1874)  he  is  still  hap 
pily  living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Bradford,  occupied  in 
agricultural  pursuits. 


308 

4.  Joseph  Worthley,  the  next  son,  married  Eliza  San- 
born,  of  Bradford. 

5.  Hannah,  his  sister,  married  John  Sanborn. 

6.  Roxalana  Amanda,  married  John  Capper,  of  Bos 
ton.     Further  notices  of  these  worthy  families  have  not 
been  received. 

JAMES  ARMSTRONG  AND  FAMILY. 

James  Armstrong,  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  in  life 
an  honest  man  and  worthy  citizen,  was  born  at  Westport, 
Ireland,  in  1799.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1824; 
married  Elizabeth  Liscomb,  of  Ackworth,  N.  H.,  in  1829  ; 
resided  for  a  few  }^ears  in  Fairlee,  Yt..  and  removed  thence 
to  Bradford  in  1836.  They  have  one  daughter,  Ann,  and 
an  only  son,  James  H.  Armstrong,  who,  October  llth, 
1864,  married  Mary  Jane  Snow,  of  Bradford,  and  is  set 
tled  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  engaged  in  agricultural 
occupations,  and  has  recently  been  elected  by  his  fellow- 
townsmen  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  The  family  have  a 
pleasant  homestead  and  farm,  on  the  south  road,  two  or 
three  miles  west  of  the  village.  Mr.  James  Armstrong 
and  wife,  with  their  daughter  and  son,  are  all  members  of 
the  Congregational  church  in  this  place. 

'  t 

WILLIAM  S.  NELSON  AND  FAMILY. 

W.  S.  Nelson  was  a  native  of  Reading,  Mass.,  as  was 
also  his  father,  William  Nelson ;  a  devoted  and  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  de 
nomination,  who  died  at  Hebron,  N.  H.,  January  2,  1859, 
in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  officiated  as 
pastor  in  many  places,  and  for  an  undetermined  period  in 
Bradford.  By  his  industry  and  good  economy,  he  had 
acquired  a  considerable  property,  and  at  his  decease  left 
a  family  consisting  of  his  widow,  seven  sons  and  three 


309 

daughters.  His  first  wife  and  two  children  had  passed 
away  before  him. 

Of  his  surviving  children  William  S.  was  the  oldest. 
He  was  born  at  Reading,  August  17th,  1815,  and  in  the 
year  1832  became  a  resident  of  this  town,  where  he  has 
since  continued,  for  over  forty  years,  industriously  occu 
pied  in  the  business  of  a  painter  and  glazier.  Mr.  Nelson, 
January  17,  1837,  married  Miss  Persis  S.  Brewster,  of 
Topsham,  Vt.,  who  was  born  there  May  22,  1817.  They 
have  one  son,  William  H.  Nelson,  born  October  21,  1840. 
He  settled  in  St.  Johnsbury,  and  was  for  years  in  the 
employment  of  the  Messrs.  Fairbanks,  and  has  been  there, 
as  he  was  here,  called  to  officiate  as  church  organist.  He 
married  Lydia  Spooner,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  February  21, 
1867.  He  at  this  writing  is  a  dealer  in  musical  merchan 
dise  of  all  kinds. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson,  of  Bradford,  have  also  two  daugh 
ters,  namely,  Charlotte  Isabella,  a  teacher  of  painting  and 
drawing,  born  September  18, 1849  ;  and  Lucy  Elizabeth, 
born  September  15,  1853.  These  daughters  reside  with 
their  parents,  and  are,  with  their  mother,  members  of  the 
Congregational  church  here. 

Mr.  William  S.  Nelson  has  two  surviving  brothers, 
namely,  B.  Nelson,  M.  D.,  at  Laconia,  N.  H.,  and  Simeon 
B.  Nelson,  of  Peshtigo,  Wis.,  who  lost  almost  everything 
that  fire  could  consume  in  the  great  fire  of  1871,  when 
eight  hundred  persons  perished  in  one  night. 

Mrs.  Persis  B.,  wife  of  William  S.  Nelson,  a  very  decid 
edly  pious  woman,  died  at  Bradford,  October  25,  1874,  in 
the  fifty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 


310 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Aldrich,  Hardy,  and  Shaw  Families. 

THE  ALDRICH  FAMILY. 

Tradition,  which  in  this  case  is  believed  to  be  reliable, 
says  that  three  brothers  by  the  name  of  Aldrich  emigrated 
from  England  and  settled  in  Oxford,  Mass.,  but  in  what 
year  we  have  no  information.  The  first  of  the  name  who 
settled  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  was  Silas  Aldrich.  The  under 
standing  is  that  he  belonged  to  the  company  of  Major 
Rogers,  who  was  sent,  in  the  autumn  of  1759,  with  a 
force  of  two  hundred  men,  to  chastise  the  Indians  at  St. 
Francis,  in  Canada  East,  who  had  committed  many  dep 
redations  and  cruelties  upon  our  border  inhabitants. 
That  work  being  accomplished,  while  the  Rangers,  as 
they  were  styled,  or-  a  division  of  them,  were  returning 
through  what  is  now  the  northern  part  of  Vermont,  and 
had  reached  the  locality  now  called  Hardwick,  they  were 
early  one  morning  attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians,  and 
overwhelmed  by  disaster,  numbers  being  killed  or  taken 
captive,  and  the  rest  put  to  flight.  Aldrich,  who  could 
not  then  have  been  more  than  sixteen  or  seventeen  years 
of  age,  was  one  of  those  who  escaped.  He  made  his  way 
to  the  Connecticut  River,  and,  following  down  through 
the  lower  Coos  region,  was  so  impressed  by  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  scenery  that  he  resolved,  when  the  war 
should  be  over,  he  would  return  and  settle  in  that  locali 
ty.  He  accordingly,  in  due  season,  came  back  to  what 
was  then  called  Moretown,  now  Bradford,  and  settled  on 
a  place  which  still  bears  the  family  name,  in  the  north 
ern  part  of  the  township,  about  two  miles  back  from  the 
river.  The  precise  date  of  his  coming  is  not  known,  but 
in  1774  he  was  here,  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice 
Collins,  then,  like  himself,  residing  in  this  place,  who  is 


311 

said  to  have  been  a  woman  distinguished  lor  decision  and 
energy  of  character.  Mr.  Aldrich  was  a  man  of  an  even, 
peaceable  disposition,  and  of  strictly  temperate  habits, 
even  in  those  days,  when  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors 
was  well-nigh  universal.  He  built  for  his  residence  a 
humble  log  cottage,  and  there  with  his  wife  raised  up  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived 
to  marry  and  have  families  of  their  own. 

Silas  Aldrich  died,  November  28,  1811,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years,  having  made  his  will  and  appointed  his  son 
Richard  sole  executor.  His  widow  married  a  Mr.  Hunt, 
and  lived  on  the  same  farm  till  her  death,  in  1823,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three. 

Children  of  Silas  Aldrich  and  wife  : 

1.  Phebe,  married  James  Martin,  and  lived  and  died  in 
Bradford. 

2.  Betsey,  married  John  Muzzey,  and  settled  in  Cor 
inth. 

3.  Richard  ;  of  him  more  hereafter. 

4.  Abigail,  married  John  Chase,  and  remained  in  this 
her  native  town. 

5.  Elsy,  married  Joshua  Barren,  and  went  West,  and 
was  lost  sight  of. 

6.  Silas  Aldrich,  Jr.,  married  a  Miss  Carter,  of  Brad 
ford,  and  moved  to  Compton,  in  Canada  East,  where  both 
died,  and  some  of  their  descendants  still  remain. 

7.  Asa  Aldrich  married  Lucy  Maynard,  a  sister  of  his 
brother  Richard's  wife,  a  native  of  Marlborough,  N.  H., 
who  had  come  to  visit  her  sister  and  seek  her  fortune. 
They  lived  on  the  West  side  of  Wright's  Mountain,  and 
had  three  daughters,  namely :  Emmeline,  who  married,  a 
Mr.  Caswell,  and  went  with  him  into  the  Western  country ; 
Sally,  who  married  Charles  Johnston,  of  South  Newbury, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  about  twenty-two,  leaving  two 
sons ;  and  Mary,  who  became  the  second  wife  of  Adams 


312 

Wilson,  of  Bradford,  and  died,  as  her  sister  died,  of  con 
sumption. 

Mr.  Asa  Aldrich  retired  to  his  rest  one  night  in,  as 
was  supposed,  perfect  health,  and  when  his  wife  awoke 
she  was  horror-stricken  to  find  that  his  spirit,  in  silence, 
had  forever  departed.  He,  like  his  father,  was  a  man  of 
mild  and  pleasant  disposition,  without  great  force  of  char 
acter. 

His  widow  married  Calvin  Cowdry,  of  Newbury,  where 
she  lived  several  years,  and  finally  died,  of  consumption. 

8.  Ephraim  Aldrich,  the  youngest  son  was  physically 
perhaps,  as  powerful  a  man  as  was  ever  reared  in  Brad 
ford.  In^  early  youth  he  grew  not  only  fast,  but  strong ; 
taking  great  delight  and  pride  in  athletic  exercises.  He, 
indeed,  through  life  gloried  in  his  great  strength.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  was  married  with  Sarah  Hilliard,  of 
New  Hampshire.  But  in  moral  strength  and  stability  he 
was  so  deficient  as  to  cause  those  who  loved  him  most 
not  a  little  concern  and  grief.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  enlisted  into  the  United  States  Army,  expecting  to  be 
stationed  at  Portsmouth,  but  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans, 
and  became  so  utterly  dissatisfied  with  his  position  and 
employments  there  that,  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  he  de 
serted,  and,  through  hardships  and  dangers  the  most  form 
idable,  returned  to  his  family  and  friends  at  the  North; 
but  not  daring  to  stay,  went  on  to  the  disputed  territory 
of  Indian  Stream,  where  he  resided  for  a  while  ;  but 
finally,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  died  at  Pittsburg,  N.  H., 
a  new  settlement  north  of  the  White  Mountains,  where 
some  of  his  descendants  are  understood  to  be  still  resid 
ing.  His  wife  died  several  years  before  him. 

3.  Richard  Aldrich,  the  third  child  and  eldest  son  of 
Silas  and  Alice  C.  Aldrich,  was  born  April  8th,  1780.  By 
the  will  of  his  father,  he  came  into  possession  of  the  old 
homestead,  on  condition  of  paying  off  the  other  heirs.  In 


313 

the  log-tiouse  built  by  his  father,  he  spent  the  days  of  his 
youth,  and  there,  on  being  married,  brought  his  young 
wife  to  commence  housekeeping  by  themselves.  His  ad 
vantages  in  youth  for  a  school  education  were  very  lim 
ited,  but  the  lessons  of  industry,  frugality,  kindness  to 
the  suffering,  and  of  heroic  patriotism  in  which  he  was 
thoroughly  drilled,  had  much  to  do  in  forming  the  charac 
ter  for  which  he  was  distinguished  in  after  life. 

He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  Miss  Anna  May- 
nard,  then  residing  in  the  family  of  Andrew  B.  Peters, 
Esq.,  of  this  place,  but  a  native  of  Marlborough,  N.  H. 
There  is  a  little  anecdote  connected  with  the  occasion  of 
her  coming  to  this  town  which  seems  worth  relating  here. 

Anna  Maynard,  at  an  early  age  was  left  without  a  moth 
er,  and  thrown  for  support  on  her  own  industry.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  she  came  to  this  town  with  a  Mr.  Norcross, 
as  a  companion  for  his  wife,  who  was  dissatisfied  with  her 
situation  in  this  then  new  country  ;  and  having  gone  to 
her  old  home  could  be  persuaded  to  return  only  on  condi 
tion  that  Miss  Anna  would  come  with  her.  She  accord 
ingly  came,  but  Mrs.  Norcross  after  a  while  again  grew  so 
discontented  and  homesick  that  she  determined  to  go 
back  to  her  old  home.  In  this  distress  Mr.  N.  besought 
Anna  to  stay  and  keep  house  for  him.  Her  reply  shows 
in  what  estimation  she  held  her.  reputation  :  "  A  pretty 
story  that  will  be,  to  go  back  to  my  father,  brothers  and 
sisters,  that'  I  have  parted  husband  and  wife ! "  Mr.  N. 
urging  the  matter  a  little  more  strongly,  she  said,  with 
decision,  "  No,  sir ;  I  will  see  you  in  the  bottomless  pit 
first ! "  So  she  left,  and  was  taken  into  the  family  of 
Esquire  Peters,  where  young  Richard  Aldrich  found  her, 
and  easily  persuaded  her  to  become  his  wife.  She  ever 
after  remembered  the  Peters  family  with  gratitude  for 
their  kindness  to  her. 

Mr.  Aldrich  and  wife  lived  happily  in  their  log  cottage 
till  after  the  birth  of  their  second  child,  when  they  moved 
21 


314 

into  their  new  framed  house,  in  which  all  the  rest  of  their 
children  were  born.  They  were  industrious,  hard-work 
ing  people,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  destitute  and  hun 
gry  never  applied  to  them  for  relief  in  vain.  They  both 
became  hopefully  pious  in  the  maturity  of  their  powers, 
and  united  with  what  was  then  styled  the  Christian 
church,  and  so  remained  during  their  subsequent  lives. 

In  1807,  Mr.  Richard  Aldrich  was  elected  Captain  of 
the  Second  Company  of  the  First  Regiment  of  the  State 
Militia.  Hence  the  military  title  by  which  he  was  ever 
after  designated.  He  also  filled  several  civil  town  offices 
acceptably.  About  the  year  1856  he  sold  his  farm  to  his 
son,  John  D.  Aldrich,  and  moved  into  a  house  which  he 
had  bought  in  Bradford  village,  and  there  died,  November 
25,  1856,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

Captain  Aldrich  seasonably  and  with  entire  composure 
prepared  for  his  departure  to  his  final  rest.  Some  years 
before  he  died,  he  requested  the  writer  of  this  article  to 
preach  his  funeral  sermon.  He  also  seasonably  made  his 
will,  disposing  of  his  property  as  he  thought  best,  appoint 
ing  his  eldest  son  sole  executor,  and  leaving  his  aged 
widow  under  his  care. 

And  so,  trusting  in  the  blessed  Saviour,  when  his  time 
came  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  bid  his  friends  farewell, 
and,  like  aged  Simeon,  depart  in  perfect  peace. 

His  aged  widow  still  survives,  though  greatly  debili 
tated  both  in  body  and  mind. 

Captain  Richard  Aldrich  and  wife  had  ten  children — 
four  daughters  and  six  sons — of  whom  some  brief  account 
will  now  be  given. 

1.  Almira,  the  eldest,  married  Levi  Hazelton,  of  New- 
bury  ;  they  had  a  family  of  children,  and  finally  settled  in 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  where  she  died.     Their 
youngest  son,  during  the  late  war  died  in  the  service  of 
his  country,  at  Hilton  Head. 

2.  Lydia  S.  married  Josiah  Rodgers,  of  Newbury,  and 


315 

was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  viz :  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Mr.  Rodgers  died  in  1843.  His  widow  mar 
ried  William  Bolton,  of  Newbury,  and  had  another  son 
and  daughter. 

Alniira  and  Lydia  Aldrich  became  hopefully  pious  in 
their  youth,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  church.  The 
eldest  died  happily,  several  years  since.  Her  younger 
sister,  Mrs.  Bolton,  still  lives,  striving  to  make  her  calling 
and  election  sure. 

3.  Sally,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

4.  Eliza  Ann,  in  1833  married  James  R.  Brown,  ol 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  but  died  at  Wells  River,  Vt.,  leaving 
one  son  and  two  daughters. 

5.  William  Aldrich,  the  eldest  son  of  Captain  Richard, 
married  Rebecca  Highland,  of  Bradford ;    bought  a  farm 
near  his  father's,  where  he  lived  several  years,  and  his 
only  child,  Rebecca  Ann,  was  born.     He  was  a  deacon  in 
the  Christian  church,  in  Goshen,  the  same  to  which  his 
parents  belonged.     In  the  year  1861,  his  wife  died  of 
consumption.  .  She  was  a  woman  highly  esteemed  and 
much  beloved  by  her  relatives  and  neighbors.     Mr.  Al 
drich,  after  his  wife's  decease,  built  a  house  at  Bradford 
village,  and,  May  28, 1862,  married  Miss  Anna  M.  Corliss, 
a  native  of  this  town.     His  only  daughter  married  a  Mr. 
Leonard  B.  Fletcher,  who  has  deceased,  and  she  has  re 
turned  to  her  paternal  home. 

6.  Richard  Ransom  Aldrich  had  no  taste  for  agricul 
tural  pursuits,  but  early  manifested  a  decided  genius  for 
the  manufacture  of  articles  of  wood.     He  first  learned 
the  carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade,  and  was  the  first  to  in 
troduce  the  board-planing  machine  into  Orange  County. 
He   was  also   the    first   in  this  County  to   manufacture 
wooden  ware,  and  send  it  in  quantities  to  a  Boston  mar 
ket.    -At  South  Newbury  he  carried  on  quite  an  impor 
tant  business  of  this  sort. 

He  had  married  Miss  Emma.  Heath,  of  Lowell,  Mass., 


316 

and  was  living  at  South  Newbury  when,  in  1851,  his  dwell 
ing  house  there,  with  five  others,  was  consumed  by  fire, 
which  induced  him  to  sell  his  remaining  property  there 
and  come  to  Bradford,  where  he  bought  a  half  interest  in 
the  Baldwin  Mill  Privilege,  commenced  business  afresh, 
and  has  manufactured  a  great  amount  of  mackerel  kits, 
wooden  pails,  and  other  articles;  and,  in  partnership  with 
his  son-in-law  Barrett,  at  this  writing  is  still  going  on,  not 
withstanding  the  recent  loss  of  his  left  hand  by  a  circular 
saw. 

In  1854  Mr.  R.  R.  Aldrich  represented  this  town  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  and  his  wife  became  members  of 
the  Methodist  church  in  Newbury  soon  after  their  settle 
ment  there,  and  here  he  has  been  a  steward  in  the  church 
of  the  same  order,  and  one  of  the  liberal  supporters  of 
its  ministry  for  over  twenty  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Aldrich  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Charles  and  Richard  I).,  both  promising  young  men,  died 
at  nearly  the  same  age,  of  twenty  years.  The  first  named, 
who  showed  a  remarkable  genius  for  mechanical  pursuits, 
died  of  typhoid  fever ;  and  his  brother  by  an  act  of  sui 
cide,  owing,  it  is  believed,  to  aberation  of  mind,  caused 
by  rheumatic  fever  settling  on  his  brain.  To  the  bereaved 
parents  these  were  wounds  which,  earth  could  not  heal ; 
but  which  grace  has  helped  them  to  bear. 

The  eldest  daughter,  Eliza  A.  Aldrich,  in  1865  married 
Norman  W.  Barrett,  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Barrett  resides 
in  Bradford  village,  engaged  in  business  with  his  wife's 
father.  They  have  one  son,  Richard  A.  Mrs.  B.  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church. 

Josephine  E.  Aldrich  married  Josiah  H.  Benton,  Jr., 
attorney-at-law,  May  19,  1866.  J.  H.  Benton,  Esq.,  a 
young  man  of  talent,  energy,  and  moral  integrity,  then  of 
Lancaster,  after  a  few  years  of  prominence  in  New  Hamp 
shire  politics  and  office,  opened  a  law  office  in  Boston, 
where  at  this  date  he  is  understood  to  be  doing  a  fair 


317 

amount  of  business.  His  young  wife,  Josephine  E.,  after 
a  short  but  happy  life,  died  at  her  father's  house  in  Brad 
ford,  in  April,  1872. 

Mr.  Aldrich  has  been  successful  in  business,  and  his 
good  wife  still  lives  to  aid  and  comfort  him,  as  in  years 
that  are  past. 

7.  Edwin  R.  Aldrich  married   Harriet   Hazelton,   of 
Newbury,  in  1835.      Two  of  their  children,  a  son  and 
daughter,  died  in  infancy.     Their  only  surviving  child, 
Miss  Olive  Ann,  married  Mr.  Benjamin  P.  Baldwin,  and  is 
pleasantly  settled  near  her  parents.     Mr.  E.  R.  Aldrich,  an 
honest  man  and  good  citizen,  a  house  carpenter  and  joiner 
by  trade,  assisted  by  his   son-in-law,  Mr.  Baldwin,  has 
done  much  in  the  way  of  house  building  here,  and  each 
occupies  a  nice  new  house,  both  near  each  other  on  Main 
street.     Mrs.  Aldrich  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  this  place. 

8.  Smith  Aldrich  married  Elsie  Muzzey,  and  lived  for 
some  while  in  Corinth,  engaged  in  farming ;  then  moved 
to  Northumberland,  N.  H.,  where  he  and  his  wife  united, 
on  profession  of  their  faith,  writh  the  Methodist  E.  church. 
He  almost  at  once  felt  it  his  duty  to  preach,  and  set  about 
it  in  the  fear  of  God.     As  a  preacher  he  has  endeavored 
to  declare  the  truth,  without  attempting  any  great  dis 
play  of  rhetorical  eloquence.     About  1854  he  went  West, 
where  he  has  since  been  preaching.     Some  three  years 
since  his  wife  died  very  suddenly,  of  heart  disease.    Their 
daughter  married  William  H.  Anderson,  and  lives  in  Sib- 
ley,  Osceola  County,  Iowa.     Rev.  Mr.  Aldrich  has  since 
married  a  Western  woman. 

9.  John  D.  Aldrich  married  Harriet  H.  Highland,  in 
1845.     Their  only  child,  a  daughter,  died  in  her  infancy  ; 
her  mother  died  of  consumption  in  1851.     Three  years 
afterward  Mr.  Aldrich  married  Philinda  Williams,  also  of 
Bradford.     He  owns  and  occupies  the  pleasant  homestead 
on  Main  street  which  formerly  belonged  to  Judge  Steb- 


318 

bins ;  he  also  is  owner  of  the  old  place  in  Goshen  district 
on  which  his  father  and  grandfather  lived  for  so  many 
years.  Mr.  J.  D.  Aldrich  and  wife  have  two  sons,  yet  in 
their  minority,  namely,  John  Albert  and  Charles  Richard, 
the  only  representatives  of  the  third  generation  from  the 
first  Aldrich  settler  here  to  bear  up  the  family  name. 

10.  Levi  M.  Aldrich  married  Sarah  George,  of  New- 
bury.  They  had  six  children,  all  daughters.  One  died 
in  her  infancy,  and  all  the  rest  at  this  date  are  living. 
All  were  born  in  this  town.  •  Mr.  Aldrich  and  family  left 
this  place  about  five  years  ago,  and  moved  to  Lowell, 
Mass.,  where  he  still  resides,  and  where  all  his  surviving 
daughters  but  one  are  married  and  settled. 

For  the  substance  of 'this  account  of  the  Aldrich  fam 
ily  I  have  been  almost  wholly  indebted  to  Mrs.  Barrett, 
daughter  of  Mr.  R.  R.  Aldrich,  although  the  manuscript 
furnished  by  her  has  been  wholly  rewritten,  and  some 
what  abbreviated. 

DEACON  OLIVER  HARDY  AND  FAMILY. 

Oliver  Hardy  was  born  of  respectable  parents,  in 
Weare,  N.  H.,  September  19,  A.  D.,  1779.  During  his 
minority  the  means  of  education  were  extremely  limited ; 
and  he  had  his  share  with  others  in  the  common  misfor 
tune.  He  was,  however,  early  trained  to  a  life  of  indus 
try,  honesty  and  prudence.  After  finishing  an  appren 
ticeship  in  the  business  of  a  tanner,  currier  and  shoemak 
er,  he  came  to  Bradford,  Vt,  in  the  Fall  of  1802,  and  se 
lected  for  himself  a  permanent  location  on  the  small  brook 
at  what  is  now  the  North  end  of  the  village.  He  that 
Fall  commenced  clearing  away  the  trees  from  his  pur 
chase,  and  preparing  facilities  for  the  prosecution  of  his 
business.  The  next  Spring  he  put  down  more  vats,  and 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  building  to  accommodate 
his  operations,  and  of  a  dam  to  hold  water  to  drive  the 


319 

requisite  machinery.  He  boarded  in  the  neighboring 
families  of  Andrew  B.  Peters,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Arad  Steb- 
bins,  until  the  winter  of  1805,  when  he  married  Miss  Sal 
ly  Johnson,  of  Enfield,  N.  H.,  who  came  and  lived  with 
him  in  the  same  house,  until  the  day  of  his  death,  a  peri 
od  of  sixty-two  years  and  a  few  months  over. 

Deacon  Hardy  was  a  man  of  ingenuity,  who  could  work 
to  advantage  not  only  in  his  appropriate  sphere,  but  had 
a  blacksmith's  forge  and  tools,  which  he  used  as  occasion 
required,  and  when  there  was  no  other  man  in  the  vicini 
ty  to  clean  and  repair  clocks  and  watches  they  were  car 
ried  to  him,  as  it  was  understood  he  could  do  almost  ev 
erything,  and  had  a  corner  in  one  of  his  buildings  for 
this  particular  purpose.  He  was  also  a  farmer  in  a  small 
way,  and  in  the  winter  was  accustomed  to  go  with  his 
sleigh  load  of  leather  and  other  commodities  to  some  one 
of  the  seaports,  and  bring  home  a  supply  of  desirable  ar 
ticles  for  his  family.  In  these  and  like  ways  he  accumu 
lated  a  nice  little  property,  sufficient  for  himself  and  wife 
in  their  old  age,  and  to  leave  something  comfortable  for 
his  beloved  daughter,  to  say  nothing  of  other  relatives. 

After  the  lapse  of  many  years,  the  fire  seized  the  old 
tannery,  with  its  various  appurtenances,  and  so  thorough 
ly  swept  them  away  that  scarcely  a  vestige  no^t  remains. 
But  one'  thing  more  in  regard  to  that  old  establishment  I 
must  not  omit  to  mention.  While  a  fine  boy  was  one  day 
superintending  the  grinding  of  bark  there,  he  by  mistake 
got  his  foot  where  the  bark  should  be,  and  was  thus  crip 
pled  for  life.  But  the  loss  of  his  foot  awakened  his  inge 
nuity  to  supply,  so  far  as  possible,  the  want,  and  led  to 
the  making  of  artificial  limbs  so  superior  to  any  ever 
before  known  as  to  bring  him  high  renown,  not  only  in 
America,  but  Europe,  and  wherever  the  name  of  Profes 
sor  Palmer  is  known ;  not  only  renown,  but  also  it  is  said 
wealth.  Thus  a  serious  calamity  proved  to  be  but  a  bless 
ing  in  disguise. 


320 

Deacon  Hardy  was  not  ambitious  of  political  distinc 
tion,  but  for  several  years  sustained,  much  to  the  satis 
faction  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  the  office  of  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  He  had  always  been  a  man  of  kind  disposi 
tion  and  exemplary  morality,  but  did  not  become  an  ex 
perimental  and  professed  Christian  until  he  had  attained 
to  what  is  deemed  the  meridian  of  human  life.  Then 
there  is  reason  to  believe  he  became  divinely  illuminated, 
a  sincere  penitent,  a  hearty  believer  in  the  blessed  Sav 
iour,  and  commenced  a  life  of  obedience  to  the  gospel. 
At  the  age  of  thirty-six,  in  the  year  1815,  he  professed  his 
faith,  and  was  received  as  a  member  of  the  Congrega 
tional  Church  in  the  place  of  his  residence,  then  in  its  in 
fancy,  and  continued  faithful  to  his  dying  day,  more  than 
half  a  century  after. 

In  March,  1830,  he  was  elected  and  constituted  a  Dea 
con  in  the  same  church,  and  continued  to  perform  the 
active  duties  of  the  office  for  some  nine  or  ten  years ; 
when,  by  his  request  and  that  of  Deacon  Bliss,  his  aged 
associate,  younger  brethren  were  chosen  to  relieve  them ; 
but  they  both  remained  beloved  and  honored  Deacons 
during  the  remainder  of  their  days ;  having  "purchased 
to  themselves  a  good  degree  and  great  boldness  in  the 
faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

Deacon  Hardy  revered  the  Sabbath  as  a  holy  day,  and 
delighted  in  the  worship  of  God,  at  home,  in  the  social 
prayer  meeting,  in  the  monthly  meetings  of  the  church, 
and  in  the  more  public  congregation.  He  was  a  man  of 
strict  honesty,  of  firm  integrity,  and  at  the  same  time  of 
uncommon  humility  and  meekness.  His  heart  was  full  of 
good  will  towards  all  men.  Seldom  or  never  was  he  heard 
to  speak  unkindly  of  any  human  being.  His  patience 
and  sweet  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  were  admirable. 
He  had  followed  the  remains  of  six  sons  and  one  daughter 
to  the  grave,  and  experienced  many  other  trials,  but  ever 
bowed  submissively  to  the  divine  will,  and  failed  not  to 


321 

manifest  that  meek  and  quiet  spirit  which  is  in  the  sight 
of  God  of  great  price.  During  his  long  and  painful  ill 
ness  he  had  a  strong  hope  in  the  covenant  faithfulness  of 
God,  and  found  his  Saviour  to  be  to  him  most  precious. 

When  the  time  for  his  departure  came,  he  was  fully 
sensible  that  he  was  going  home  ;  and,  having  spoken  im 
pressively  to  the  aged  companion  of  his  life,  and  to  his 
surviving  son  and  daughter,  attending  physcian,  and 
others  about  him,  each  separately,  with  a  wave  of  his 
hand  he  bade  them  all  adieu ;  resigned  his  spirit  into  his 
almighty  and  most  merciful  Saviour's  hands,  and,  beyond 
all  doubt,  entered  into  life  eternal. 

Deacon  Oliver  Hardy  died  at  Bradford,  Vt.,  August  1st, 
1867,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  ten  months  and  twelve 
days.  "Mark  the  perfect  man,  and*  behold  the  upright, 
for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace." 

Mrs.  Sally  J.7  widow  of  Deacon  Oliver  Hardy ;  born  at 
Enfield,  N.  H.,  May  16, 1786;  died  at  the  house  of  her 
son,  J.  A.  Hardy,  July  26,  1870,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year 
of  her  age. 

These  parents  had  seven  -sons  and  three  daughters.  Of 
these,  two  of  the  daughters  and  three  of  the  sons  died  in 
childhood.  One  son,  Jesse,  from  his  infancy  of  feeble 
intellect,  but  of  a  quiet  disposition,  died  in  1855,  at 
the  age  of  forty-three  years,  having  been  through  life 
treated  by  his  parents  and  the  entire  family  with  exem 
plary  consideration  and  tenderness.  Of  the  three  other 
sons  and  their  sisters,  let  the  following  notices  suffice  : 

1.  Johnson  Arad  Hardy,  born  July  29,  1806,  still  re 
mains  a  worthy  citizen  of  Bradford.  January  3,  1830,  he 
married  Miss  Sybil  Clark,  of  this  place,  by  whom  he  had  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  some  fur 
ther  account  presently. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Hardy  opened  the  first  scientific  clock,  watch 
and  jewelry  establishment  in  Bradford,  in  October,  1829. 
He  commenced  in  a  shop  near  his  present  residence,  but 


322 

in  1836  moved  that  building,  and  his  business  with  it,  to 
a  more  central  location  in  the  village,  and  there  went  on 
prosperously,  till  able  to  erect  a  more  costly  edifice,  af 
fording  not  only  ample  accommodations  for  his  own  busi 
ness,  but  to  let,  for  a  store  of  dry  goods,  an  express  office, 
a  law  office,  post  office,  a  photograph  gallery,  and  the 
business  of  dentistry,  a  music,  hall,  etc.  Into  this  build 
ing  he  removed  his  business  in  1851,  and,  having  gradu 
ally  gained  a  high  reputation  as  a  skillful  and  reliable 
workman,  and  fair  dealer,  was  extensively  patronized, 
and  accomplished  a  great  amount  of  profitable  business. 
In  1858,  Mr.  Hardy,  finding  such  close  application  injuri 
ous  to  his  health,  sold  his  goods  and  rented  his  store,  with 
its  fixtures,  to  Mr.  Charles  H.  Harding,  for  the  term  of 
five  years,  reserving  the  privilege  of  having  a  work 
apartment  in  or  near  his  own  house,  during  the  same 
time.  At  the  expiration  of  this  period,  William  G.  Hardy 
went  into  the  same  business  in  the  new  store,  and  being 
assisted  by  his  father  was  very  successful.  At  length,  in 
consequence  of  failing  health,  he  felt  obliged  to  exchange 
this,  his  favorite  occupation,  for  out-door  air  and  exercise, 
and  so  purchased  for  himself  a  nice  homestead  in  Fairlee, 
next  north  of  the  residence  of  Mr.  Lewis  Jenkins,  his 
wife's  father.  He  disposed  of  his  goods  and  business  to 
Mr.  C.  H.  Harding,  who  there  keeps  an  excellent  clock, 
watch  and  jewelry  establishment,  in  juxtaposition  with 
the  office  of  which  he  is  the  highly  esteemed  Postmaster. 
Mr.  J.  A.  Hardy  continues,  June,  1873,  business  in  his 
pleasant  retirement,  both  to  meet  the  wants  of  many  of 
his  former  patrons,  and  for  his  own  gratification,  it  being 
a  pleasure  to  him  to  be  actively  and  usefully  employed. 
His  books  show  that  in  the  course  of  now  nearly  fifty 
years  he  has  cleaned,  repaired  and  attended  to  the  real 
wants  of  thirty-three  thousand  watches.  The  largest 
number  repaired  in  any  one  year  was  thirteen  hundred 
and  thirty-three.  In  March,  1851,  his  shop  door  had 


323 

seventy-two  holes  bored  around  one  of  its  panels,  which 
was  removed,  and  his  store  robbed  of  about  one  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  goods,  no  part  of  which  was  ever  re 
covered. 

Mr.  Hardy  occasionally  made  time-pieces,  clocks,  and 
regulators,  of  different  styles  and  prices.  Among  others, 
he  calculated  and  made  a  valuable  clock  which  requires 
winding  but  twelve  times  in  a  year,  and  as  a  donation  to 
the  Congregational  society  placed  the  same  in  the  breast 
work  of  their  church  gallery,  where  it.  still  remains,  a 
memorial  of  his  liberality,  and  a  faithful  monitor  of  pass 
ing  time. 

As  to  the  children  of  these  parents,  William  C.,  the 
eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  Milo,  the  second, 
died  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 

Oliver  J.,  the  third  son,  born  February  6,  1835,  an  en 
terprising  young  man,  of  the  same  occupation  as  his  fa 
ther,  married  Miss  Louisa  Ladd,  of  Haverhill,  H.  H.,  and 
established  himself  in  a  prosperous  business  at  Haynes- 
ville,  Alabama.  He  was  esteemed  a  safe  and  very  nice 
workman,  but  in  early  manhood  was  called  away.  He 
died  at  Haynesville,  of  consumption,  February  26,  1858, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  His  remains  were 
brought  home  to  Bradford  for  burial,  and  the  discourse 
delivered  on  the  occasion,  by  the  Rev.  S.  McKeen,  was 
published,  lor  the  satisfaction  of  his  numerous  relatives 
and  friends. 

Sarah  Jane,  daughter  of  J.  A.  Hardy  and  wife,  born 
February  17,  1837,  married  Edwin  Kilbourne,  then  prac 
ticing  dentistry  in  Bradford,  January  3,  18CO,  and  died 
at  her  father's  house,  August  27,  1866,  in  the  thirtieth 
year  of  her  age.  Let  the  following  correct,  though  brief, 
sketch  of  her  character,  from  the  pen  of  her  pastor,  im 
mediately  after  her  decease,  be  her  memorial: 

Mrs.  Kilbourne,  the  only  daughter  of  kind<  and  Chris 
tian  parents,  who  had  ever  earnestly  sought  to  promote 


324 

her  highest  good,  was  a  young  lady  universally  esteemed 
and  beloved  by  those  who  knew  her.  In  person  sym 
metrical  and  pleasing,  but  too  delicate  to  be  strong  and 
enduring ;  in  attire,  ever  neat,  and  modestly  elegant ;  in 
manners,  unassuming,  but  uniformly  correct  and  winning ; 
at  home  and  abroad  she  habitually  exhibited  that  meek 
and  quiet  spirit  which  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  great 
price.  She  had  a  fine  taste  for  music  and  drawing,  in  the 
practice  of  which  she  had  attained  to  excellence.  For 
years  she  was  .the  admired  organist  in  the  choir  with 
which  she  worshipped.  For  fifteen  years  she  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  in  her  native  vil 
lage,  and  very  exemplary  in  her  attendance  on  all  its 
meetings,  ordinances  and  worship.  Greatly  beloved  by 
her  husband,  parents,  and  other  relatives  and  friends,  she 
loved  them  dearly  in  return.  Life  was  pleasant  to  her  ; 
she  would  have  been  happy  to  have  continued  here  long 
er,  but  when  she  evidently  perceived  that  it  was  her 
Saviour's  pleasure  to  take  her  to  her  heavenly  home,  she 
was  not  only  perfectly  reconciled  to  leave  all,  and  depart, 
but  esteemed  it  gain  to  die.  In  nature's  last  extremity, 
her  faith  and  hope  in  Christ,  the  Lord,  were  strong ;  and 
while  passing  through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death, 
she  feared  no  evil,  being  divinely  sustained  and  most 
sweetly  comforted.  Her  peaceful  and  happy  departure 
was  a  most  fitting  termination  of  her  exemplary  and 
beautiful  life.  "  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the 
death  of  His  saints."  S.  M.  K. 

William  George  Hardy,  the  youngest  son  of  Mr.  J.  A. 
Hardy  and  wife,  born  March  8,  1840,  married  Miss  Maria 
L.  Jenkins,  of  Fairlee,  February  9,  1864,  and  being  thor 
oughly  acquainted  with  the  business  of  a  watchmaker 
and  jeweller,  succeeded  his  father  in  that  occupation,  and 
went  on  prosperously  until  he  found  it  necessary,  as  has 
been  stated,  to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  pur 
chased  a  pleasant  farm  and  homestead  in  Fairlee,  where 


325 

he  spent  the  remnant  of  his  days.  He  died  of  pulmonary 
consumption  at  his  home  in  Fairlee,  on  Saturday  morning, 
April  18,  1874,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  leaving 
the  beloved  wife  of  his  youth,  with  an  only  child,  an  in 
fant  son.  He  was  a  young  man  of  kind  disposition,  of 
mechanical  genius,  good  sense  and  unblemished  moral 
character.  He  had  for  about  seven  years  been  a  consistent 
member  of  the  church  to  which  his  parents,  and  also  wife, 
belonged.  He  was  in  life  much  attached  to  his  mother, 
and  by  death  only  five  days  separated  from  her.  He  was 
blessed  with  the  exercise  of  his  reason  to  the  last,  and 
died  beautifully  sustained  by  the  promises  and  consola 
tions  of  the  Gospel.  His  funeral  services  were  attended 
at  his  late  home  in  Fairlee,  on  Monday,  the  20th  inst.,  and 
his  burial  was  with  his  kindred  dead,  in  the  cemetery  at 
Bradford.  He  had  been  for  some  years  to  his  parents, 
their  last  surviving  child,  very  dutiful,  affectionate,  and 
much  beloved. 

Mrs.  Sybil  C.,  wife  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Hardy,  died  at  her 
home  in  Bradford,  April  13,  1874,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year 
of  her  age.  Her  departure  was  thus  but  five  days  in  ad 
vance  of  that  of  her  last  son.  She  died  of  a  chronic  dis 
ease  of  the  heart,  ending  in  general  dropsy. 

She  was  a  native  of  Clinton,  Kennebec  County,  Maine, 
a  daughter  of  William  Clark  and  wife.  Her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sybil  Heald,  died  at  Troy,  N.  Y.  Her 
father,  after  living  for  a  while  in  Mobile,  where  he  buried 
his  eldest  daughter,  Sally,  went  to  Florida  and  there  died, 
leaving  this  daughter,  and  his  two  sons,  William  and 
George,  both  younger  than  their  sister.  The  sons  re 
mained  and  became  men  of  business  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  died  in  Lowrndes  County,  Alabama.  The 
climate  not  suiting  the  daughter's  health,  she  had  re 
turned  before  her  father's  decease,  to  live  with  her  aunt 
Hartwell,  in  this  place,  who  had  been  to  all  these  orphans 
as  a  mother  for  some  years  -before  they  went  to  their 


326 

father  in  Florida.  Sybil  grew  up  an  amiable,  interesting 
young  lady  ;  remembered  her  Creator  in  the  days  of  her 
youth ;  and  at  the  age  of  about  nineteen  became  hope 
fully  pious.  In  the  year  1828  she,  with  more  than  twenty 
others,  united  with  the  Congregational  church  in  this 
place.  Of  those  then  received  Mr.  Hardy  was  one  ;  so 
that  this  destined  couple,  by  a  happy  coincidence,  com 
menced  publicly  their  heavenward  journey  together. 
They  were  married  by  their  pastor  January  3,  1830,  and 
directly  commenced  house-keeping  in  a  new  building,  de 
signed  both  for  a  family  residence  and  to  accommodate 
-the  business  of  its  proprietor  as  a  watchmaker  and  jewel 
ler.  This  building  was  subsequently  removed,  to  give 
place  to  the  commodious  brick  residence  in  which  she 
spent  the  principal  part  of  her  married  life. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardy  had  one  daughter,  Sarah  Jane,  a 
very  amiable  and  good  young  lady,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Dr.  E.  A.  Kilbourne,  and  died  at  her  father's  house  ; 
and  two  sons,  worthy  young  men,  of  the  same  occupation 
as  their  father,  namely,  Oliver,  who  married  Louisa  Ladd, 
of  Haverhill,  N.  H.?  went  South  and  died  in  Hayneville, 
Alabama,  and  William  G.,  who  married  Maria  L.  Jenkins, 
of  Fairlee,  where  for  a  few  years  past  he  has  resided  on 
a  farm,  with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  his  health, 
which  had  become  delicate  and  precarious.  He  was  un 
able  to  attend  his  mother's  funeral.  They  have  an  infant 
son. 

The  state  of  Mrs.  Hardy's  health  had  been  for  several 
years  very  imperfect,  and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  affect 
seriously  her  nervous  system,  and  to  weigh  heavily  on 
her  accustomed  cheerfulness.  But  this,  with  her  repeated 
bereavements,  she  endured  with  quiet  resignation ;  habit 
ually  aiming  to  do,  in  all  circumstances,  the  best  she 
could. 

She  was  much  attached  to  the  quietude  of  her  home, 
but  had, been  repeatedly  benefited  by  being  taken  to  the 


327 

sea-shore  to  spend  a  few  weeks  at  a  time,  and  the  last 
Summer  and  Autumn  was  wonderfully  revived  and  invig 
orated  by  a  journey  with  her  husband,  of  some  months,  in 
the  western  country,  including  a  visit  to  the  medicinal 
springs  of  Saratoga,  and  especially  of  Clarendon,  Vt. 
This  improvement,  however,  was  not  of  long  duration. 
As  her  health  again  declined,  and  her  journey  through  life 
was  evidently  drawing  near  its  end,  she  seemed  not  to  be 
much  disappointed,  or  at  all  alarmed,  but  was  enabled  to 
trust  in  the  precious  promises  of  the  Gospel  with  sweet 
composure,  and  was  greatly  comforted  in  view  of  eterni 
ty  by  the  belief  that  she  should  soon  be  with  her  prec 
ious  Saviour,  re-united  with  her  dear  ones  who  had  died 
in  the  Lord,  and  that  those  whom  she  was  leaving  would, 
in  God's  good  time,  be  with  them  there,  in  perfect  and 
everlasting  blessedness.  She  had  for  about  forty-six 
years  been  aiming  to  live  in  obedience  to  the  Gospel,  and, 
as  might  be  expected,  the  end  was  peace.  She  left  her 
husband  solitary  in  the  pleasant  home  which  they  had  so 
long  enjoyed  together,  deeply  afflicted,  but  still  able  to 
say :  "The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  has  taken  away ; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Mr.  Johnson  A.  Hardy,  the  last  survivor  of  his  own 
family,  died  at  the  house  of  his  daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Ma 
ria  Hardy,  in  Fairlee,  October  17,  1874,  in  the  sixty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  worthy  man,  and  in  his 
last  will  remembered  generously  the  church  of  which  he 
had  long  been  a  member. 

2.  George  W.  Hardy,  son  of  Deacon  Oliver  Hardy, 
born  March  8,  1809,  in  early  manhood  was,  with  his  fa 
ther,  occupied  for  several  years  in  the  business  of  a  tan 
ner  and  currier  of  leather.  After  the  burning  of  that  es 
tablishment,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and 
shoes  for  sale,  ancj  mercantile  business  in  this,  his  native, 
village,  and  so  continued  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  built  and  occupied  a  pleasant  brick  house,  a  lit- 


328 

tie  north  of  that  of  his  brother,  on  the  same  street,  which 
is  now  (1874)  owned  by  Mr.  James  Woodward,  of  Chi 
cago,  and  undergoing  important  improvements.  Mr.  GL 
W.  Hardy  married  Miss  Sophronia  Buswell,  of  Lebanon, 
N.  H.,  and  died  January  26,  1866,  in  the  fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  They  had  one  son,  John,  who  married 
Miss  Josephine  Doe,  of  Newbury,  Vt.  He  owns  and'  oc 
cupies  a  farm  which  formerly  belonged  to  his  grandfather, 
but  on  which  he  never  lived,  in  that  part  of  Bradford 
called  Groshen.  They  have  but  one  child,  a  son,  whose 
name  is  Frank  Everett. 

3.  John,  the  fourth  son  of  Deacon  0.  Hardy,  born 
January  17,  1814,  learned  the   clock,  watch  and  jewelry 
business  of  his  brother  J.  A.,  and  at  the  close  of  his  ap 
prenticeship  went  South,  and  was  very  successful  in  his 
chosen  occupation.     He  married  a  Southern  lady,  Miss 
Susan  Crenshaw,  by  whom  he  had  three  daughters,  Ala 
bama,  Virginia,  and  Sarah  Jane.     He  died  of  congestive 
fever,  September  11,  1843,  at  Haynesville,  Alabama,  in 
the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  leaving,  as  the  result  of  his 
skill  and  industry,  about  $6,000  for  the  comfort  of  his  be 
loved  wife  and  daughters.     Mrs.  Hardy  has  since  died, 
but  the  daughters  are  understood  to  be  still  living  at  the 
South. 

4.  Harriet  Maria,  the  only  surviving  daughter  of  Dea 
con   Hardy,  born  April  26th,  1827,  married  Jasper  M. 
Hardy,  of  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  April  12th,  1866,  and  so 
became  a  resident  of  the  native  State  of  her  parents. 

It  is  here  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  descendants  of 
good  Deacon  Oliver  Hardy  and  wife  have  been,  not  only, 
in  a  temporal  view,  but  also  religiously,  signally  blessed. 
The  daughter  just  mentioned,  also  her  brother,  J.  A.  Hardy 
and  wife,  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Kilbourne,  her  brother 
William  G-.  and  wife,  Mr.  George  W.  and  wife,  their  son 
John  and  his  wife,  all  became  members  of  the  same 


329 

church  to  which  Deacon  Hardy  and  wife  belonged,  and 
in  which  he  had  so  long  and  acceptably  officiated. 

THE   SHAW    FAMILIES. 

The  Shaws  were  of  English  descent.  The  first  of  the 
name  in  this  country  of  whom  we  have  any  account  was 
Benjamin  Shaw,  of  Abington,  Mass.  His  son,  William 
Shaw,  born  February  22,  1730,  married  Hannah  West, 
and  settled  in  Bridgewater,  in  that  State.  He  was  a  man 
in  humble  circumstances,  by  occupation  a  tanner  and  shoe 
maker ;  but  of  excellent  moral  and  religious  character, 
and  withal  of  very  industrious  habits.  He  and  his  wife 
had  a  large  family,  whom  they  seem  to  have  faithfully  en 
deavored,  and  not  without  success,  to  train  up  in  the  way 
they  should  go.  Mrs.  Shaw,  their  mother,  died  in  1772. 
Mr.  Shaw  married  again ;  had  by  this  marriage  one  daugh 
ter,  and  died  in  January,  1810,  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age.  Two  of  his  sons,  namely,  Colonel  Dan  Shaw 
~and  Rev.  Naphtali  Shaw,  when  quite  advanced  in  life,  re 
moved  to  Bradford,  Vt.,  and  here  died,  leaving  families ; 
and  it  is  of  them  particularly  that  I  shall  now  have  occa 
sion  to  speak. 

Their  brothers  and  sisters,  generally  married,  settled 
elsewhere,  and  left  posterity  in  the  country. 

Colonel  Dan  Shaw  was  born  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  No 
vember  15,  1758.  His  first  wife  was  Joanna  Perkins,  a 
daughter  of  Deacon  Isaac  Perkins,  of  Middleborough,  in 
that  State,  born  January  5,  1761.  They  were  married  in 
March,  1780,  and  removed  to  Lyme,  N.  H.,  where  she  died 
November  22,  1803,  in  the  forty-second  year  of  her  age. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Burton,  in  his  sermon  at  her  funeral,  after 
wards  published,  speaks  highly  of  her  good  qualities  and 
Christian  character.  For  his  second  wife  Colonel  Shaw 

married  the  widow  Mary  Bliss,  of  this  town,  who  survived 
22 


330 

him,  and  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Freeman,  of  Hanover, 
N.  H. 

In  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  age  Mr.  Shaw  became,  on 
profession  of  his  faith,  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  his  native  place,  and  was  through  life  a  remark 
ably  strict  keeper  of  the  Sabbath. 

At  Lyme  he  united  with  the  Orthodox  church,  and  was 
constituted  a  deacon  in  the  same. 

He  was  also  for  a  time  one  of  the  Selectmen  of  that 
town ;  and  in  a  military  line  was,  by  regular  gradation, 
promoted  from  the  office  of  a  Lieutenant  to  that  of  com 
mander  of  a  regiment ;  whence  the  title  by  which  he  was 
ever  after  designated.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
he  removed  from  Lyme  to  this  town,  and  purchased  a 
farm  on  the  West  side  of  the  River  road,  bounded  on  the 
South  by  the  line  between  Bradford  and  Fairlee,  the  same 
on  which  Amos  Clement  now  lives. 

Colonel  Shaw  when  over  fifty  years  of  age  became  un 
settled  in  his  mind  in  regard  to  the  correctness  of  the 
Orthodox  belief  that  those  who  die  in  their  sins  are  for 
ever  lost,  and  finally  embraced  fully  the  docjtrine  that  all 
without  discrimination  will  be    saved.     And  so  zealous 
was  he  in  his  new  belief  that  in  the  year  1809  he  obtained 
approbation  from  due  authority  to  go  forth  as  a  preacher 
of  universal  salvation,  and  in  the  course  of  four  or  five 
years  preached  occasionally,  in  many  places.     He  was 
undoubtedly  sincere  in  his  belief,  and  so  conscientious 
that  when,  again  fearing  he  might  be  wrong,  he  ceased  to 
preach,  became  unhappy,  and  so  disturbed  in  his  mind; 
about  that  and  other  things,  that  he  terminated  his  life  by 
drowning  himself  in  a  small  brook  near  his  home,  greatly 
to  the  grief  of  his  family  and  many  friends,  November 
14,  1814,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six   years.     He  was  an  ami 
able  man,  in  life  well  esteemed,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
but  he  had  become  truly  insane. 


331 

Colonel  Shaw  and  his  first  wife  had  a  very  respectable 
family,  of  whom  some  account  will  now  be  given. 

1.  Nanny  P.,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  December  16, 
1780,  married  Joshua  Balch,  of  Lyme,  June  15,  1800,  and 
died  there,  leaving  a  family  of  children,  January  24,1850. 

2.  Dan,  born  October  13,  1782,  died  May  4,  1805. 

3.  Samuel  W.,  born  November  12,  1784,  died  March 
31,  1803. 

4.  Joanna,  born  April  3,  1787,  married  Abel  Kent,  Jr., 
of  Lyme,  January  1,  1806,  and  died  November  4,  1856, 
leaving  a  family. 

5.  Asa,   born  February  20,    1789,   married   Eliza   T. 
Slade,  of  Hanover,  was  a  merchant  at  Lyme,  and  died 
there  July  4,   1861,  leaving  one  daughter,  Eliza  P.,  and 
one  son,  Asa,  with  their  mother.     This  son  is  a  merchant 
in  Hartford,  Conn. 

6.  Abraham   Perkins,   born  June  20,   1813,   married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Jenkins,  of   this  town,  June 
20,  1813,  who  died  here  August  6,  1855.     Mr.  A.  P.  Shaw 
and  wife   were   both   members   of    the    Congregational 
church  in  this  place,  and  valuable  members  of  society. 
He  was  by  occupation  a  cabinet  maker,  and  is  at  this  date 
still  living  in  this  village,  in  circumstances  of  comfort. 

THEIR    CHILDREN. 

Joseph  Wright  Shaw,  born  April  3,  1814,  married  Al- 
mira  Tisdale,  was  of  the  same  occupation  as  his  father, 
removed  to  Summerville,  Mass.,  and  died  there,  March  1, 
1870. 

Dan  W.  Shaw,  born  March  12,  1816,  married  Jane  A., 
daughter  of  Captain  Haynes  Johnson,  of  Bradford,  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  furniture  at  East 
Cambridge  and  Boston,  Mass.,  on  a  large  scale,  in  which 
business  he  has  been  very  prosperous.  He  has  a  commo 
dious  and  delightful  residence  at  North  Cambridge.  Mr. 


332 

and  Mrs.  Shaw  are  very  estimable  people,  and  have  a 
pleasant  family ,  as  follows :  Ella  J.,  born  July  19, 
1846;  Emma  L.7  born  November  27,  1848,  died  January 
22,  1854 ;  Susie  E.,  born  November  30, 1854,  was  married 
with  Mr.  George  A.  Keeler,  June  4,  1874 ;  Adna  B.,  born 
December  8,  1856,  and  his  brother,  Edward  L.,  January 

24,  1860. 

Mary  E.,  eldest  daughter  of  A.  P.  Shaw  and  wife,  born 
June  9,  1818,  died  February  28,  1826. 

Abram  Perkins,  Jr.,  born  May  3,  1821,  remains  at  this 
date  a  citizen  of  Bradford,  usefully  engaged  in  the  man 
ufacture  and  sale  of  furniture,  and  caring  for  his  father, 
now  far  advanced  in  age. 

Arad  K.,  a  younger  brother,  born  April  16,  1825,  by 
reason  of  severe  sickness  in  childhood  became  deaf  and 
mute,  though  still  bright  in  intellect,  and  died  April  14, 
1854. 

Julia  A.  B.,  born  September  25,  1827,  married  Olin 
Partridge,  January  16,  1853,  who  died  in  Ripon,  Wiscon 
sin,  August  16,  1861.  Their  son  Willie  Oliri  was  born  at 
Ripon,  September  22,1858.  After  her  husband's  decease, 
Mrs.  P.  returned,  with  her  son,  to  this  her  native  place. 

Mary  J.,  the  youngest  member  of  this  family,  born  May 

25,  1831,  married  William  Miller,  then  of   Bradford,  a 
worker  in  marble,  October  23,  1853,  and  died  here  April 
12,  1855. 

7.  Naphtali,  the  next  son  of  Colonel  Dan  Shaw,  was 
born  May  20,  1793.  He  married  Hannah  Worthen,  of 
Bradford,  January  21,  1817.  He  was  a  man  highly  es 
teemed  for  his  intelligence,  ability,  and  moral  worth ; 
was  for  many  years  occupied  here  in  mercantile  business, 
and  died  September  3,  1861,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of 
his  age.  His  good  wife  died  August  16,  1844,  in  the 
forty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  They  were  both  exemplary 
Christians',  and  members  of  the  Congregational  church  in 
this  place.  They  had  two  daughters  and  one  son.  The 


333 

youngest  daughter,  Julia  B.,  died  in  her  infancy.  Han 
nah  Maria,  born  November  27,  1817,  married  Olin  Part- 
ridge,  June  21,  1840,  and  died  December  20,  1847,  leav 
ing  one  daughter,  Arabelle  Maria,  born  May  29,  1841. 

Asa  Thaddeus,  the  only  son,  born  February  9,  1820, 
married  Maria  L.  Putnam,  November  9,  1843,  removed  to 
Elmore,  Vt.,  and  died  there,  January  5,  1855,  leaving  a 
family  of  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  with  their  mother. 
Their  eldest  son,  Asa  Balch,  had  previously  died  in  child 
hood.  Mrs.  Shaw  with  her  family  returned  to  Bradford, 
and  for  years  has  kept  a  respectable  millinery  establish 
ment  here.  Her  daughter,  Harriet  Arabelle,  born  De 
cember  3,  1846,  died  June  27,  1867,  in  the  twenty-first 
year  of  her  age.  Julia  Laurette,  born  October  22,  1848, 
an  industrious  young  lady,  to  whose  influence  we  are  in 
a  great  measure  indebted  for  the  monument  at  her  grand 
father's  grave.  Mary  Ann,  born  November  12,  1850, 
married  Victor  Wallace  Bagley,  September  16,  1871,  a 
merchant,  in  partnership  with  William  B.  Stevens,  of  this 
place.  Asa  T.  Shaw,  Jr.,  born  February  14, 1855,  a  clerk 
in  that  establishment.  And,  lastly,  William  West,  born 
October  22,  1852,  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  livery- 
stable  keeper. 

8.  Pollycarpus,  the  sixth  son  of  Colonel  Dan  Shaw, 
was  born  February  25,  1797.     Went  to  Indiana,  devoted 
himself  to  teaching,  married,  and  died  February  1,  1849, 
leaving  a  large  family.     And,  finally, 

9.  Mandana,  youngest  member  of  Colonel  Shaw's  fam 
ily,  born  April  9,  1799,  died  June  6, 1801,  at  Lyme,  N.  H. 
Of  this  large  and  respectable  family,  Abraham  P.  Shaw 
at  this  writing  is  the  only  survivor,  now  eighty-three 
years  of  age. 

Rev.  Naphtali  Shaw,  the  third  son  of  William,  of  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  and  brother  of  Colonel  Dan  Shaw,  was  born 
there,  June  20,  1864,  and  was  from  his  childhood  trained 
up  in  habits  of  industry,  sobriety,  and  Christian  morality. 


334 

He  had  naturally  a  strong  desire  for  the  acquisition  of 
useful  knowledge,  and  fondness  for  reading,  but  his  ad 
vantages  were  very  limited.  He  was  in  his  youth,  as 
well  as  in  mature  manhood,  a  lover  of  his  country,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  with  his  father's  consent,  enlisted  for  a 
limited  period  in  the  Revolutionary  service.  He  re 
turned  in  safety ;  and  at  the  age  of  twenty,  by  agree 
ment  with  his  father,  entered  on  a  decided  course  of 
preparation  for  college,  and  persevered  amid  difficulties, 
paying  his  expenses  in  part  by  manual  labor,  and  was  ad 
mitted  a  freshman,  at  Dartmouth,  in  the  autumn  of  1786. 
He  found  his  preparation  had  not  been  equal  to  that  of 
most  of  his  classmates,  but  by  hard  and  persevering 
study  gained  and  held  an  honorable  standing  among  them. 
He  graduated  in  1790,  his  appointment  at  commencement 
being  a  discussion  of  the  question,  "  Does  moral  obliga 
tion  arise  from  the  revealed  will  of  God,  or  from  the  fit 
ness  of  things  ?  "  Among  his  fellow  graduates  were  Rev. 
Ethan  Smith,  Mills  Olcott,  Esq.,  Asa  Lyon,  Member  of 
Congress,  and  General  William  Eaton,  United  States 
Consul  at  Tunis,  in  North  Africa — men  of  distinction  in 
their  day.  On  leaving  college  Mr.  Shaw,  having  taught 
in  Boston  and  other  places  for  a  year  or  two,  to  pay  up 
his  college  expenses,  studied  theology,  for  about  seven 
months,  with  Rev.  Dr.  Sanger,  of  Bridgewater ;  when, 
being  approbated  by  Plymouth  Association  as  a  qualified 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  he  was  invited  to  preach  for  four 
Sabbaths,  as  a  candidate,  at  Kensington,  N.  H.  About 
the  same  time  he  received  his  second  degree  at  Dart 
mouth.  With  much  diffidence,  he  consented  to  go  to 
Kensington,  having  no  expectation  of  giving  them  satis 
faction,  as  that  church  had  already  tried  twenty  or  thirty 
candidates  without  success,  and  were  in  a  deplorable  con 
dition.  He  preached  his  first  sermon  there  September 
9,  1792,  and  in  the  course  of  eight  weeks,  to  his  great 
surprise,  received  an  urgent  call  from  the  church  and 


335 

society  to  become  their  pastor.  He  felt  that  he  must  not 
refuse;  and  on  the  30th  of  January,  1793,  was  duly  or 
dained,  and  constituted  the  settled  pastor  of  the  Congre 
gational  church  and  society  in  Kensington.  And  so  con 
tinued,  in  love  and  peace,  and  with  moderate  success  in 
his  ministerial  labors,  for  about  twenty-one  years,  when 
his  health  had  become  so  seriously  impaired  that  a  re 
lease  from  study  and  preaching  could  no  longer  be  de 
ferred,  and,  with  great  cordiality  on  both  sides,  his  minis 
terial  connection  with  that  people  was,  by  act  of  council, 
honorably  terminated,  January  13,  1813.  He  then  set 
tled  up  his  secular  affairs,  bought  a  farm  in  this  town, 
adjoining  that  of  his  brother,  Colonel  Shaw,  on  the  east, 
and  settled  here  with  his  family,  in  October  of  the  same 
year,  designing  to  spend  ^  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
agricultural  employment,  and  from  that  time  wholly  ceased 
to  officiate  as  a  preacher,  but  continued  through  life  to 
maintain  an  excellent  Christian  character.  For  five  or 
six  years  after  Mr.  Shaw's  ordination,  he  remained  a 
bachelor;  but  on  the  10th  of  June,  1798,  he  married 
Mary  Crafts,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John  S.  Crafts,  of  North 
-Bridgewater,  a  companion  altogether  suitable  for  him. 
They  were  blessed  with  a  family  of  four  children.  Mrs. 
Shaw  died  at  Bradford,  January  14,  1840,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  Rev.  Naphtali  Shaw,  her  husband,  died  here 
also,  October  10,  1853,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 
Their  remains  repose  side  by  side  in  Bradford  cemetery. 
They  were  both  members  of  this  Congregational  church. 

THEIR   CHILDREN,    ALL   NATIVES   OF   KENSINGTON. 

1.  Thomas  Crafts,  was  born  June  7,  1799,  and  under 
good  parental  influence  grew  up  a  very  worthy  young 
man.  It  is  not  known  that  he  ever  contracted  any  of  the 
bad  habits  so  common  among  young  men.  The  ordinary 
use  of  tobacco  and  intoxicating  liquors,  Sabbath  breaking, 
profane  swearing,  lounging  about  in  places  of  public  re- 


336 

sort,  and  wasting  time  and  money  in  dissipating  amuse 
ments,  were  practices  that  he  abhorred.     He  was  always 
to  be  found  on  the  side  of  morality  and  good  order.     His 
candor  and  kindness,  and  strict  regard  for  veracity,  jus 
tice,  fairness  and  faithfulness,  in  all  transactions  with  his 
fellow   men,   were  admirable.      He  had   through   life   a 
healthy  appetite  for  reading,  and  in  that  way  acquired  a 
good  store  of  useful  knowledge.     He  was  in  his  youth  a 
successful  teacher  of  common  schools,  and  through  life 
felt  interested  in  the  right  education  of  the  rising  gener 
ation.     For  twenty-three  years  he  officiated  as  a  trustee 
of  Bradford  Academy,  and  for  six  years  of  that  time  as 
treasurer.     Mr.  Shaw  was  married,  December  2,  1819, 
with  Miss  Sarah  B.,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Jenkins,  an 
estimable  young  woman  of  the  same  neighborhood,  a  few 
years  older  than  himself.     They  remained,  taking  care  of 
his  parents,  at  the  old  homestead,  till  their  decease,  after 
which  Mr.  Shaw  sold  that  place,  and  bought  a  pleasant 
residence  in  the  village,  near  his  ordinary  place  of  wor 
ship,  and  there  they  spent  their  remaining  days.     During 
a  series  of  religious  meetings,  attended  with  great  power, 
about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1837,  Thomas  C.  Shaw 
and  wife  became  hopefully  converted,  and  united  with 
the  Congregational   church,  in   which   he  was   in  1839 
chosen  a  deacon,  and  for  about  twenty-seven   years  so 
performed  the  duties  of  the  office  as  to  purchase  to  him 
self  a  good  degree,  and  great  firmness,  if  not  boldness,  in 
the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.     A  failure  of  his  health 
induced  him  to  resign,  about  five  years  before  his  de 
cease.     Mrs.  Shaw  died,  stricken  down  by  apoplexy,  De 
cember  30, 1869.     Deacon  Shaw,  after  a  protracted  fee 
bleness  of  some  two  or  three  years,  in  which  his  eldest 
daughter,  the  only  surviving  member  of  his  family,  with 
admirable  loving  kindness  ministered  most  faithfully  unto 
him,  died  March  247  1871,  aged  seventy-one  years. 
These  parents  had  been  blessed  with  three  children. 


337 

Sarah  Jane,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  December  14, 1820, 
at  this  date  still  survives,  occupying,  with  competent 
support,  the  pleasant  home  which  her  father  left  to  her 
in  this  village.  She  is  a  member  of  the  same  church  to 
which  her  parents  belonged.  The  next  child  of  her  pa 
rents,  a  son,  died  in  his  infancy.  The  younger  daughter, 
Mary  Ann,  born  June  6,  1825,  died  February  10,  1848,  in 
her  twenty- third  year. 

2.  Eliza  Parks,  eldest  daughter  of   Rev.    N.  Shaw, 
born  April  19,  1801,  became  hopefully  ^pious  when  about 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  made  a  public  profession  of  her 
faith.      She  married  Randall  H.  Wild,  of  West  Fairlee, 
then  resident  in  Bradford,  March   15,  1824.     They  re 
mained  here  for  a  while,  and  Mr.  Wild  was  chosen  a  dea 
con  in  the  Congregational  church,  October  4,  1827.  They 
removed  to  West  Fairlee,  and  had  two  daughters,  Mary 
Elizabeth,   the    eldest,  married   Rev.  Orpheus   T.    Lan- 
phear,   now   D.  D.,    and  pastor  of    the    Congregational 
church  in  Beverly,  Mass.      Her  younger  sister,  Emily, 
died  in  her  maidenhood,  an  amiable  young  lady,  x  Mrs. 
Wild,  their  mother,  owing  to  a  softening  of  the  brain,  or 
some  other  physical  cause,  suffered  a  sad  failure  of  her 
intellectual  powers,  though  still  remaining  quiet,  and  by 
agreement  was  taken  home  again  by  her  parents,  and,  by 
accidentally  falling  into  an  open  fire,  was   so  seriously 
burned  as  to  cause  her  death,  which  occurred  December 
22,  1841,  in  the  forty-first  year  of  her  age.     Though  thus 
in  the  decline  of,  her  life   unfortunate,  there   can  be  no 
doubt  but  she  was  a  truly  good  woman,  and  her  immortal 
interests  secure. 

3.  Samuel  West,  the  second  son  of  Rev.  N.  Shaw, 
born  June  1,  1803,  grew  up  a  very  worthy  young  man, 
and  married,  November  23,  1830,  Jerusha  Bliss,  daughter 
of  Deacon  Solomon  Bliss,  of  Fairlee.      They  were  both 
good  Christians.     He  lived  in  a  house  near  his  fathers' 
for  a  few  years,  and  died  March  10,  1832.     His  widow 


338 

married  Deacon  John  Metcalf,  of  Piermont,  N.  H. ;  had 
several  children,  and  at  this  date  is  still  living,  again  in 
widowhood. 

4.  Mary  Ann,  the  younger  daughter  of  Rev.  N.  Shaw, 
born  May  21,  1807,  died  in  childhood. 

In  closing  this  genealogical  record  it  is  deeply  inter 
esting  to  notice  how  the  divine  blessing  has  come  down 
from  a  pious  ancestry  upon  children's  children,  unto  the 
third  and  fourth  generation.  So  may  it  be  till  earth  and 
time  shall  be  no  more. 


339 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Prichards,  Lows,  and  Ormsbys. 

THE  PRICHARD  FAMILY. 

Col.  George  W.  Prichard  was  born  at  New  Ipswich,  N. 
H.,  December  4,  1792.  His  parents  were  Jeremiah  and 
Elizabeth  Prichard,  of  that  place.  His  father  was  for  sev 
eral  years  an  officer  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and 
bore  the  title  of  Captain.  He  died  in  New  Ipswich  .in 
1813,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  His  widow  died  at 
the  house  of  her  son,  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  March  1836.  The 
parents  had  four  sons,  all  worthy  men,  of  whom  the  sub 
ject  of  this  notice  was  when  visited  with  his  last  sickness 
the  solitary  survivor. 

George  W.,  while  rather  young  for  a  clerkship,  came  to 
live  with  Captain  John  B.  Wheeler,  of  Orford,  N.  H.,  in 
whose  store  a  large  amount  of  business  was  in  those  days 
transacted.  Capt.  Wheeler,  who  was  a  shrewd  business 
man,  and  would  have  none  but  the  capable  and  trustwor 
thy  about  him,  was  so  much  pleased  with  this  young  man 
that  he  not  only  kept  him  as  a  clerk,  but  in  due  season 
took  him  into  partnership,  and  committed  to  him  the 
management  of  the  mercantile  business  which  he  had  es 
tablished  in  Bradford.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
in  the  year  1812,  Mr.  Prichard  took  up  what  proved  to  be 
his  permanent  residence  here.  Nor  was  it  long  before  he 
became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  establishment.  He 
here  continued  in  very  successful  mercantile  business  for 
about  half  a  century,  when,  having  acquired  a  competen-^ 
cy,  and  being  far  advanced  in  life,  he  retired,  leaving  his 
almost  life-long  business  to  two  of  his  sons,  to  the  prac 
tice  of  which  they  had  from  early  youth  been  trained. 
His  first  store  was  a  low  wooden  building  on  the  west 
side  of  Main  street,  in  the  central  part  of  the  village, 


340 

where  the  two  story  brick  building  which  he  subsequent 
ly  erected  now  stands,  and  continues  to  be  occupied  for 
the  same  purpose. 

That  Col.  Prichard  was  a  very  capable,  upright,  and 
honorable  man  in  his  various  transactions,  is  evident  from 
the  manifold  official  duties  which  he  was  called  to  per 
form,  and  the  entire  confidence  which  all  who  knew  him 
invariably  reposed  in  him.  By  the  election  of  his  fellow 
townsmen  he  officiated  for  three  years  as  one  of  their  Se 
lectmen  ;  twice  he  represented  the  town  in  the  State 
Legislature ;  executed  the  office  of  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  some  thirty  years ;  and  for  some  thirty-seven 
years  was  entrusted  with  the  town  moneys,  as  Treasurer. 
On  resigning  the  latter  office,  at  the  last  annual  meeting 
preceding  his  death,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  unanimously 
passed,  testifying  that  he  had  invariably  kept  the  funds 
committed  to  him  with  fidelity,  and  discharged  the  vari 
ous  business  of  his  office  as  Treasurer  to  the  entire  satis 
faction  of  all  concerned.  He  performed  the  duties  of 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Bradford  Acade 
my  for,  it  is  believed,  more  than  forty  years.  He  also 
bore  for  some  while  the  commission  of  a  Colonel,  in  a 
time  of  peace.  He  was  also  the  efficient,  reliable,  and 
only  President  of  the  first  Bradford  bank,  whose  business 
was  honorably  closed,  without  loss  to  any,  about  two 
years  before  his  decease. 

Col.  Prichard  had  also  important  trusts  committed  to 
him  in  the  way  of  settling  the  estates  of  deceased  friends, 
and  was  remarkably  successful  in  giving  good  satisfac 
tion.  Even  when  the  amount  of  property  in  one  case 
was  large,  and  the  claims  of  the  heirs  in  conflict  with 
each  other,  they  were  all  alike  ready  to  acknowledge  and 
thank  him  for  his  perfect  impartiality,  and  strict  justice. 

With  regard  to  domestic  relations  and  affairs,  it  may  be 
remarked  that  Col.  Prichard  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Pearsons,  of  Bradford,  March  16,  1817,  a 


341 

lady  in  person,  manners,  domestic  habits,  and  character, 
truly  amiable  and  estimable.  They  were  married  by 
their  then  youthful  pastor,  who  in  years  long  after  at 
tended  the  funerals  of  them  both.  They  wisely  com 
menced  housekeeping  in  a  style  corresponding  with  their 
then  somewhat  limited  means,  for  some  years  living  in  a 
humble  cottage,  made  pleasant  by  love  and  contentment, 
nor  wished  to  remove  till  able,  without  inconvenience,  to 
build  and  furnish  to  their  liking  the  commodious  residence 
in  which  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  They 
had  a  family  ol  one  daughter  and  six  sons,  of  whom  fur 
ther  notice  will  be  given.  All  were  living  at  the  time  of 
their  mother's  decease,  which  occurred  March  5,  1853,  in 
the  sixty-second  year  of  her  age.  She  had  been  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Congregational  church  for  sixteen  years,  and 
by  her  exemplary  life  had  evinced  the  sincerity  of  her 
profession.  In  view  of  death,  she  was  beautifully  sus 
tained  and  comforted  by  the  assured  prospect  of  a  near 
and  blessed  immortality,. 

Colonel  Pri chard's  second  marriage  was  with  Miss 
Mary  P.  Sutherland,  February  7,  1854,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Rev.  David  Sutherland,  of  Bath,  N.  H.  She  faith 
fully  ministered  to  his  comfort  during  his  declining  years, 
and  was  rewarded  with  not  only  worldly  substance 
enough,  but  with  the  strong  assurance  of  his  high  esteem 
and  grateful  love. 

Although  Mr.  Prichard  had  been  from  his  youth  a  moral 
man  and  regular  attendant  on  public  worship,  and  for 
years  entertained  a  trembling  hope  of  the  divine  accept 
ance, .he  had  passed  the  meridian  of  life  before  he  made 
any  open  profession  of  religion.  It  was  during  a  pro 
tracted  meeting  of  great  power,  held  in  connection  with 
the  dedication  of  the  present  Congregational  meeting 
house  in  this  village,  in  January,  1837,  that  he  and  his 
wife,  in  company  with  several  others,  were  brought  to 
consecrate  themselves  heartily  and  openly  to  the  Sav- 


342 

iour's  service,  and  to  become  living  members  of  his  visi 
ble  church.  Thence  onward  their  path  was  like  the  light 
of  the  morning. 

About  three  years  after  this  season  of  refreshing,  the 
aged  deacons  of  this  church  wishing  to  be  relieved, 
George  W.  Prichard  and  Thomas  C.  Shaw,  who  had  to 
gether  been  received  as  members,  were  unanimously 
chosen  deacons,  and,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the 
church,  continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  that  office  un 
til,  by  reason  of  advanced  age  and  bodily  infirmities, 
they  in  their  turn  thought  it  their  duty  to  resign.  Their 
resignation  was  accepted  so  far  only  as  to  excuse  them 
from  officiating,  except  in  cases  of  special  need  of  their 
services. 

Deacon  Prichard  was  a  firm  believer  in  divine  revela 
tion,  and  made  the  Holy  Scriptures  the  guide  of  his  faith 
and  conduct..  He  delighted  in  public  and  social  wor 
ship,  and  his  fervent  prayers  and  pathetic  remarks  in 
social  meetings  were  truly  elevating  and  refreshing.  In 
the  Sabbath  school  he  was  also  deeply  interested.  He 
for  several  years  officiated  as  superintendent,  and  after 
that  continued  as  teacher  of  a  class,  while  he  had  strength 
to  perform  the  arduous,  but  to  him  grateful,  service.  He 
took  a  lively  interest  in  the  support  of  public  worship, 
ever  ready  to  do  his  part.  He  was  not  only  a  liberal 
subscriber  and  prompt  payer,  but  a  cheerful  giver. 
Great  pleasure  he  evidently  took  in  attending  the  annual 
"  donation  visits "  to  his  pastor  and  family,  and  never 
failed  to  bring  on  such  occasions  substantial  proofs  of  his 
friendship.  And  when,  after  a  long,  peaceful,  and  not 
fruitless  ministry,  the  pastor  esteemed  it  his  privilege 
and  duty  to  resign,  this  good  man  was  prominent  among 
the  considerate  and  kind-hearted  friends  who  undertook 
to  provide  for  him  a  comfortable  home,  that  he  might 
continue  to  live,  and  finally  die  and  be  buried,  with  his 
beloved  people. 


343 

Such  men  are  a  blessing,  not  only  to  their  own  fami 
lies  and  to  the  communities  around  them,  but  to  the 
world.  But  the  most  upright,  benevolent,  exemplary 
and  useful  members  of  society  must  with  others  pass 
away.  The  ailment  of  which  Deacon  Prichard  died  was 
similar  to  that  of  the  good  king  of  whom  it  is  said,  that 
he  "  did  that  which  was  good  and  right  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord  his  God,"  but  who  in  his  old  age  "  was  diseased  in 
his  feet,  until  his  disease  was  exceeding  great ; "  and  in 
addition  to  this,  dropsy  in  the  chest,  sa  that  for  months 
before  his  decease  he  could  not  lie  down  at  all.  During 
this  whole  season  of  bodily  infirmity  and  distress,  his  pa 
tience  and  sweet  resignation  to  the  divine  will  were  most 
admirable.  During  those  wearisome  days  and  nights, 
sitting  almost  constantly  in  his .  chair,  often  pierced  with 
intense  pains,  he  was  not  only  reconciled  and  submissive, 
but  said  he  loved  to  be  in  the  hands  of  his  Heavenly  Fa 
ther,  who  knew  just  what  was  best  for  him.  To  him  the 
Saviour  was  inexpressibly  precious,  and  in  Him  he  re 
joiced  at  times  with  joy  inexpressible  and  full  of  glory. 

His  children,  with  their  companions,  from  near  and  afar 
had  gathered  around  him,  to  receive  his  dying  benedic 
tion,  and  express  to  him  their  sympathy,  gratitude,  and 
filial  love,  when  on  one  Thursday  evening,  August  8, 
1867,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  eight  months,  and 
four  days,  he,  at  the  call  of  his  Lord,  exchanged  Earth  for 
Heaven,  leaving  his  lifeless  body  still  reclining  in  the  ac 
customed  chair,  presenting  even  in  death  a  placidity  of 
countenance  expressive  of  the  most  perfect  satisfaction. 

The  burial  service  was  attended  on  the  subsequent 
Saturday,  towards  evening,  and  at  the  church  on  the  fol 
lowing  Sabbath  an  appropriate  funeral  discourse  was  de 
livered  by  his  pastor  and  almost  life-long  friend,  in  the 
presence  of  the  united  congregations  of  Bradford  village, 
and  numerous  other  friends  from  -places  more  remote. 
"  Blessed  are  -the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord." 


344 

The  children  of  George  W.  and  Elizabeth  P.  Prichard, 
his  wife. 

1.  Adeline,   born  December  22,   1817.     She  became 
hopefully  pious  while  young,  and  united  with  the  same 
church  with  her  parents.     She  was  a  well  educated  young- 
lady,  and  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  B.  B.   Newton,  then 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Chelsea,  Vt.     Af 
ter  several  years  of  ministerial  service  as  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  Mr.  Newton  withdrew  from  that  denomination, 
united  with  the  Episcopal  church  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and 
received  ordination  as  a  clergyman  of  that,  order.     Mrs. 
Newton  had  for  several  years  charge  of  a  female  board 
ing   school  at  Brooklyn,  and  has  done  much  good  ser 
vice,  not  only  for  those  under  her  immediate  care,  but  for 
the  world,  as  an  educator  of  young  ladies. 

Rev.  Mr.  Newton  had  by  this  marriage  eight  children, 
of  whom  four  died  early  j  and  at  this  date  two  daughters 
and  two  sons  still  survive,  namely,  Elizabeth  P.,  wife  of 
George  H.  Goddard,  Adeline,  Benjamin,  and  Edward 
Prichard. 

2.  George  Prichard,  born  November  19,  1819,  mar 
ried  Elizabeth  F.  Brooks,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  with 
his  brother  Edward  was  for  years  actively  and  extensively 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  the  same  store  which 
had  been  occupied  by  their  father  for  the  same  purpose. 
He   had  also  a  pleasant  homestead  next  South  of  the 
Academy,  and  near  the  churches  in  Bradford  village.     Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Prichard  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  here,  and  took  a  lively  interest,  not  only  in  its 
prosperity  but  in  the  general  advancement  of  the  best 
interests  of    society.      Mr.  Prichard,  like  his  father  be 
fore  him,  was  a  highly  esteemed  deacon  in  the  church  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  so  continued  until,  owing  to  em 
barrassing  reverses  in  his  mercantile  affairs,  he  closed  up 
further  business  here,  left  the  place,  and  late  in  the  Au 
tumn  of    1871    removed  with  his  family  to  Worcester, 


345 

Mass.  While  resident  in  Bradford,  he  was  for  several 
years  a  Trustee  of  Bradford  Academy,  and  Secretary  of 
the  Board,  and  also  represented  the  town  in  the  State 
Legislature  of  1858-59. 

Deacon  George  Prichard  and  wife  had  three  daughters 
and  four  sons.  The  eldest  son,  Charles,  died  in  early  life; 
at  the  house  of  his  maternal  grandmother  at  Worcester, 
in  1851. 

Eva  Frances,  the  second  daughter,  died  at  the  same 
sweet  ancestral  home,  December  6,  1868,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  and  seven  months.  She  had  gone  there 
in  health,  to  visit  her  grandmother,  and  to  spend  the  Win 
ter  with  her  uncle  and  aunt  Anderson  in  Boston ;  but 
soon  after  her  arrival  was  visited  with  disease  of  a  gan 
grenous  nature,  painfully  affecting  especially  one  of  her 
feet,  which  no  medical  treatment  could  relieve  ;  amputa 
tion  became  a  matter  of  necessity ;  the  disease  still  lin 
gered  in  the  system,  and  within  a  few  days  reached  the 
mainsprings  of  life.  The  dear  girl  knew  she  was  going 
— going  to  leave  her  beloved  father  and  mother,  who 
were  with  her,  and  the  dear  ones  at  their  home  ;  but  bore 
all  with  sweet  resignation  to  the  Divine  will,  and,  with 
entire  confidence  in  her  blessed  Saviour,  peacefully 
passed  away  to  her  final  rest.  Nearly  a  year  before  her 
decease  she  had  made  a  public  profession  of  her  faith,  and 
united  with  the  same  church  to  which  her  parents  and  her 
two  sisters  also  belonged.  Her  funeral  was  numerously 
attended  at  Bradford,  and  her  precious  remains  followed 
to  the  tomb  by  a  full  representation  of  the  Sabbath  school 
to  which  she  had  from  childhood  belonged. 

The  surviving  children  are  Mary  Addie,  Annie  Eliza 
beth,  George  Brooks,  William  Frederick,  and'Arthur  An 
derson. 

3.  Moses  Smith  Prichard,  born  April  8,  1822,  graduat 
ed  at  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1841,  studied  law, 
and  opened  an  office  in  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  where  af- 
23 


346 

ter  the  lapse  of  some  thirty  years  he  was  still  remaining, 
pleasantly  located.  He  was  for  a  term  called  to  the  office 
of  Judge  of  the  County  Court,  holding  its  sessions  there. 
He  married  Miss  Betsey  Ann  True,  of  Janesville,  and  the 
names  of  their  three  children  are  Mary,  George  W.,  and 
Anna. 

4.  Edward  Pricharcl,  born  November  29,  1824.  He 
was  in  youth  favored  with  the  requisite  advantages 
for  acquiring  a  useful  education,  which  he  duly  improved 
and  became,  as  he  advanced  in  life,  well  qualified  for  the 
various  mercantile  and  official  transactions  in  which  he 
was^called  to  engage.  At  the  old  stand  in  Bradford  vil 
lage,  in  company  with  his  brother  George,  he  was  occu 
pied  in  commercial  business  for  several  years.  During 
a  part  of  this  time,  and  subsequently,  he  was  called  to  fill 
various  civil  offices  of  trust  and  importance.  As  one  of 
the  town  Listers,  one  of  the  Selectmen,  Town  Clerk,  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  he  had  much  to  do.  The  records 
which  he  made  will  long  remain,  should  no  accident  pre 
vent,  an  honorable  memorial  of  his  fidelity  and  penman 
ship.  He  officiated  for  a  time  as  Cashier  of  Bradford 
Bank,  was  for  years  a  Notary  Public,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  decease  an  Assistant  Assessor  of  the  United  States 
Revenue,  and  a  Trustee  of  Bradford  Academy.  He  was 
a  man  so  modest,  kind-hearted,  seriously  inclined,  and 
withal  so  winning  in  his  ways,  as  well  as  capable  and 
trustworthy,  that  his  fellow  townsmen  were  very  natur 
ally  disposed  to  respect  and  honor  him.  Mr.  Prichard 
built  the  store  on  the  East  side  of  Main  street,  at  this 
date  occupied  by  Bailey  &  Reding  as  a  clothing  store,  and 
also  the  commodious  house  on  Pleasant  street  in  which 
his  family  continue  to  reside. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Edward  Prichard  was  very 
happy.  At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  was  united  in  mar 
riage  with  Miss  Anne  Merrill,  of  Pittsfield,  N.  H.,  who 
did  him  good  all  the  days  of  his  subsequent  life,  and  by 


34:7 

whom  he  was  blessed  with  a  somewhat  large,  for  these 
days,  and  very  interesting  family  of  children,  consisting 
of.  two  sons  and  eight  daughters. 

The  eldest  son,  Edward  Payson,  a  beautiful  and  prom 
ising  boy,  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  drowned  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years.  Towards  evening  July  29,  1867,  this 
dear  boy  had  gone  quite  alone  to  bathe  in  Wait's  River, 
a  little  below  the  brick  mill. at  the  village.  Not  return 
ing,  as  was  expected,  in  the  evening,  the  most  dilligent 
search  was  made  for  him ;  but  in  vain,  until  early  the  next 
morning  the  lifeless  body  was  discovered  reposing  in 
death's  profound  sleep  on  the  river's  bed !  The  entire 
community  seemed  to  be  moved  with  deep  sympathy  for 
the  family  in  their  sore  bereavement. 

About  five  weeks  before  Mr.  Prichard's  decease,  his 
eyes  were  blessed  with  the  sight  of  another  son,  to  be, 
with  the  eight  lovely  daughters,  to  their  mother,  as  he 
hoped,  a  rich  blessing  when  he  should  himself  have  passed 
away.  This  son,  born  October  20,  1870,  is  named  James 
Edward.  The  names  of  the  daughters  are  Caroline  Mer 
rill,  Elizabeth  Pearsons;  Julia,  Jane  Hallet,  Anna  Lois, 
Ellen  Catherine,  Mary  Sutherland,  and  Adaline  Frances. 

The  disease  of  which  Mr.  Prichard  died  was  of  the 
heart.  In  the  action  oi  that  vital  organ  there  had  been 
more  or  less  irregularity  through  life.  For  some  weeks 
immediately  preceding  his  decease  this  trouble  had  be 
come  most  serious  and  alarming.  Its  progress  to  a  fatal 
termination  was  rapid  and  irresistible.  Of  this  he  was 
duly  aware,  and  quietly  awaited  the  eve  at.  His  decease 
occurred  November  28,  1870,  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years, 
lacking  one  day. 

Mr.  Prichard,  though  seriously  inclined,  evangelical  in 
his  belief,  and  very  exemplary  in  his  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  attendance  with  his  family  on  public  wor 
ship,  had  never  seen  his  way  clear  to  make  a  public  pro 
fession  of  religion  by  uniting  with  the  church.  In  the 


348 

near  prospect  of  death,  he  utterly  disclaimed  all  depend 
ence  on  any  ground  of  hope  save  Christ,  and  Him  alone, 
for  salvation,  and  so  quietly  passed  away,  hoping  that  to 
him  it  would  be  a  gain  to  die.  At  his  funeral  an  earnest 
appeal  was  made  by  the  beloved  pastor,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Williams,  to  the  men  of  Bradford  to  be  wise  and  consider 
their  latter  end,  to  consecrate  themselves  heartily  and 
openly  to  the  service  of  God,  and  to  do  so  without  delay, 
seeing  the  night  of  death  cometh,  and  may  come  with  un 
expected  suddenness. 

Miss  Caroline  M.,  daughter  of  Edward  Prichard,  and 
Edward  E.  Baldwin,  of  Cambridge,  Mass,  were  married 
September  1, 1874. 

5.  Amos  Prichard,  born  May   26,  1827,  graduated  at 
the  University  of  Vermont  in  1847,  studied  for  the  pro 
fession  of  law,  and  directly  after  became  established  in 
successful  business  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin.     In  due  sea 
son  he  was  constituted  a  Judge  of  the  County  Court 
there,  for  the  term  of  four  years,  and  at  this  date  is  offici 
ating  on  his  fourth  term  of  election  to  the  same  office,  a 
sufficient  proof  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
fellow  citizens  of  that  County.     He  married  Miss  Augusta 
Dearborn,  and  they  have  been  blessed  with  three  chil 
dren,  Charlotte  Augusta,  Lyman,  and  Abby  Elizabeth. 

6.  Arthur  Prichard,  born  April  27, 1835.     Some  years 
of-  his  early  youth  were  spent  in  acquiring  a  business  ed 
ucation,  arid   as   a  clerk   in   his  father's   store.      In  his 
twenty-first  year,  with  his  father's  consent,  he  went  away 
to  seek  his  fortune,  as  many  other  young  men  do,  in  the 
West.     In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  while  boarding  at  a 
hotel  in  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  he  was  visited  with  danger 
ous  sickness,  but  by  the  aid  of  a  friend  succeeded  in 
reaching  Janesville,  the  residence  of  his  two  brothers, 
and  there,  at  the  house  of  the  Hon.  Moses  S.  Prichard,  re 
ceived  whatever   kindness   loving   hearts   could   render. 
He  seemed  to  revive  a  little,  hopes  of  his  recovery  were 


349 

beginning  to  be  entertained;  but  while  his  brother's 
wife  was  giving  him  some  nourishment,  his  head  sudden 
ly  declined,  his  heart  ceased  to  beat,  and  life  was  extinct ! 
His  immortal  spirit  had  returned  to  God.  He  died  March 
6,  1856,  hardly  twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  same  day 
the  sad  intelligence  was  glanced  over  the  telegraphic 
wires,  causing  the  friends  at  home  to  sympathize  and 
mourn  with  those  afar  oif.  Arthur  was  an  active  and 
amiable  young  man,  whose  loss  was  deeply  felt.  His 
burial  occurred  at  the  place  of  his  decease,  but  a  discourse 
by  his  former  pastor,  in  memory  of  him,  and  addressed 
particularly  to  young  men,  delivered  March  30,  1856,  at 
Bradford,  was  by  their  solicitation  printed,  and  some 
what  widely  circulated.  A  post  mortem  examination 
showed  that  the  disease  of  which  he  died  was  of  the 
heart. 

7.  John  Brooks  Wheeler  Prichard,  born  September 
26,  1839,  married  Miss  Orissa  George,  of  Bradford,  and, 
in  company  with  Mr.  Barron  Hay,  succeeded  the  firm  of 
George  and  Edward,  his  brothers,  at  the  old  trading 
stand  in  this  village,  encouraged  by  a  due  share  of  pub 
lic  patronage.  Mr.  J.  B.  W.  Prichard,  since  the  death  of 
his  brother  Edward,  in  the  autumn  of  1870,  has  filled  the 
office  of  Town  Clerk  of  Bradford.  He-  built  the  commo 
dious  house  which  he  owns  and  occupies  on  Pleasant 
street.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  blessed  with  four 
children.  A  son  and  a  daughter  died  in  early  childhood. 
The  two  survivors  are  Fred  Elmer  and  Henry  Warren. 

ASA  LOW  AND  FAMILY. 

Mr.  Asa  Low  was  a  native  of  Sanford,  in  the  State  of 
Maine,  born  January  13,  1796.  He  came  to  this  town 
about  1820,  and  engaged  in  the  business  of  paper  mak 
ing.  This  business  had  before  been  carried  on  in  the 
same  place  by  others,  but  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Low  it  was 


350 

much  increased,  and  through  various  vicissitudes  of  pros 
perity  and  adversity  continued  for  about  a  half  century. 
Mr.  Low  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  energy  in  various 
directions,  and  did  much  for  the  prosperity  of  Bradford, 
especially  of  its  village.  He  for  a  time  owned  and  much 
improved  the  hotel  called  the  Trotter  House  ;  he  erected 
and  for  }^ears  occupied  the  large  stone  paper  mill,  which 
is  still  used  for  the  same  purpose ;  built  also  the  substan 
tial  brick  grist-mill,  a  few  rods  below,  but  subsequently 
sold  it ;  also  built  the  two-story  brrck  store,  nearly  oppo 
site  the  paper  mill,  on  Main  street,  and  was  extensively 
engaged  there  in  various  commercial  transactions.  His 
family  residence  was  the  commodious  two- story  white 
house,  directly  opposite  the  Trotter  House,  formerly 
owned  by  General  Micah  Barron.  Mr.  Low  was  for  a 
long  time  a  trustee  of  Bradford  Academy,  and  took  a  live 
ly  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  in  the  support 
of  public  worship,  on  which  he  regularly  attended.  He 
was  also  an  earnest  and  persevering  advocate  of  total  ab 
stinence  from  the  common  use  of  all  intoxicating  liquors. 
He  was  in  favor  of  whatever  he  judged  to  be  for  the  ben 
efit  of  society ;  and  did  probably  more  than  any  other 
man  to  encourage  the  building  of  the  Connecticut  and 
Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad,  opening  a  communication 
from  the  seaports  to  this  place,  whence  it  has  since  been 
extended  to  Canada  East,  and  secured  railroad  connec 
tions  with  Quebec,  Montreal,  and  the  far  West.  At  times 
this  man  of  business  seemed  to  be  borne  along  on  the 
full  tide  of  prosperity,  but  at  other  times  met  with  seri 
ous  disappointments,  losses  and  embarrassments,  till  at 
length,  in  broken  health  and  exhausted  energy,  he  re 
tired,  in  1873,  from ,  his  former  rush  of  business,  to  the 
quietude  of  his  own  pleasant  home  and  loving  family. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Asa  Low  has  been  signal 
ly  blessed.  September  21,  1824,  he  married  Miss  Lucin- 
da  Brooks,  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel  and  Mrs.  Anne 


351 

Butler  Brooks,  formerly  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  but  at  that 
time  of  Canada  East,  with  whom  he  has  been  living  hap 
pily  for  now  almost  fifty  years.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Two  of 
the  sons  and  three  daughters,  one  "half  of  their  children, 
died  in  childhood. 

Of  those  at  this  date  still  living  the  following  brief  no 
tices  must  suffice. 

1.  Helen  Mary,  born  May  14,  1826,  remains  at  home, 
greatly  to  the  comfort  of  her  parents. 

2.  Caroline  Henrietta,  born  November  24,  1827,  mar 
ried  Mr.  John  B.  Peckett,  of  Bradford.      They  have  a 
pleasant  residence  on  the  Lower  Plain.     See  J.  B.  Peck 
ett  and  family, 

3.  George  Azro,  born  December  16,   1833,  married 
Marcia  Cutler,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Calvin  Cutler,  formerly 
of  Lebanon  and  of  Windham,  N.  H.     Mr.  George  A.  Low 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1857.     He  taught  for 
some  years  after  his  graduation  at  Chicago,  111.,  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  and  -at  Bradford  AcadeinyrVt.,  and  has  subsequent 
ly  been  engaged  in  various  business,  in  connection  with 
his  father.      In  the  meanwhile  he  has  taken  a  deep  inter 
est  in  the  cause  of  education,  temperance  and  religion, 
in  the  best  interests  of  society  generally,  and  for  several 
years,  much  to  the   satisfaction  of  his  fellow  communi 
cants,  has  filled  the  office  of  Deacon  in  the  Congregation 
al  church,  to  which  he  and  Mrs.  Low  still  belong.     They 
have  had  four  children.    One  died  in  infancy.     The  names 
of  those  still  living  are   Walter    Carroll,  James  Herbert, 
and  George  Evarts.     At  this  date  (November,  1874)  Mr. 
George  A.  Low  and  family  are  living  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

4.  Adaline  Pri chard,  born  December  22,  1839,  mar 
ried  David  Blakely,  Esq.,  Editor  of  the  Chicago  Evening 
Post.     Their  residence  is  at  Chicago.     They  have  three 
children — Jesse,  Bertha,  and  Daisy.     Mrs.  Blakely,  since 
her  marriage,  has  spent  some  time  in  Germany,  to  accom- 


352 

plish  herself  more  to  her  own  satisfaction  in  the  science 
and  art  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  in  which  she  was 
previously  quite  proficient. 

5.  Martha  Ann  Rogers,  born  July  5,  1842,  remains 
with  her  parents,  contributing  much  to  their  happiness, 
amid  the  infirmities  and  trials  attending  declining  age. 

Mrs.  Low  and  all  her  surviving  children  are  beloved 
members  of  the  household  of  faith.  May  both  parents 
and  children,  with  their  entire  families,  reach  the  land  of 
pure  delights  at  last. 

Mr.  Ira  Low,  a  farmer  in  West  Bradford,  is  a  twin 
brother  of  Mr.  Asa  Low,  above  mentioned.  The  wife  of 
Mr.  Ira  Low  was  removed  from  him  by  death,  a  year  or 
two  since.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  only  Ira 
and  Emeline  are  at  this  time  (July,  1874)  living. 

THE   ORMSBY   FAMILY. 

The  original  spelling  of  this  name  was  Ormsbee,  and 
so  continued  till  within  a  few  years  past ;  but  is  now  by 
general  consent  as  abovq  given. 

The  first  man  of  this  name  who  settled  in  this  vicinity 
was  Ichabod  Ormsby,  from  Woodstock,  Conn.  We  have 
not  the  exact  date  of  his  coming,  but  it  was  within  a  few 
years  after  the  first  settlement  of  Fairlee,  where  he  pur 
chased  real  estate  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  became  a 
permanent  resident.  Having  determined  on  removal,  he 
returned  to  Woodstock,  and  gave  his  friends  a  glowing 
description  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  this  locality,  and 
the  prospective  advantages  of  early  possession,  repre 
senting  that  the  lands  were  not  only  very  productive  but 
cheap ;  that  the  meadows  for  quite  a  distance  above  Fair- 
lee  Mountain  had  been  cleared  up  by  the  Indians,  and  in 
times  past  planted  w^ith  corn ;  that  rows  of  corn  of  a  mile 
in  length  might  be  planted  in  that  rich  soil,  he  might 
truly  add,  without  a  stone  of  any  size  to  interfere  with 
the  ease  of  cultivation.  Several  families  removed  about 


353 

that  time  from  the  old  State  of  Connecticut  to  homes  in 
this  happy  valley.  On  the  return  of  Ichabod  Ormsby  he 
settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  cultivated  by  Captain 
Benjamin  Celley,  and  his  son  William,  a  little  North  of 
Fairlee  Mountain.  Two  of  Ichabod's  brothers,  namely, 
Joseph  and  Thomas,  came  with  him,  and  settled  on  lands 
which  he  had  previously  purchased.  In  the  account  of 
Fairlee  in  the  Vermont  Historical  Magazine  it  is  incident 
ally  mentioned  that  at  a  town  meeting  held  there,  August 
2,  1 774,  Ichabod  Ormsby  was  elected  one  of  the  Assess 
ors  of  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- seven  pounds, 
eight  shillings,  voted  by  the  town  to  be  raised  "  to  defray 
the  expense  of  allotting  the  township,  cutting  out  and 
clearing  roads,  and  other  necessary  expenses."  And  also 
to  be,  with  Israel  Morey,  Esq.,  and  Jonathan  Child,  a  com 
mittee  to  lay  out  and  make  the  necessary  roads  through 
the  township,"  in  1780.  He  was  also  one  of  a  committee 
"  to  provide  necessary  materials,  erect  and  complete  a 
House  of  Public  Worship,  at  the  expense  of  said  town." 
By  these  records  it  is  manifest  that  he  was  an  influential 
and  well  esteemed  member  of  that  community.  Of  the 
time  of  his  decease,  or  of  his  family,  we  have  no  account. 
They  were  not  inhabitants  of  this  town. 

Rufus  F.  Ormsby,  eldest  son  of  that  Joseph  who  was  a 
brother  of  Ichabod,  moved  with  his  family  into  Bradford 
in  the  year  1817.  He  was  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Conn. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Young,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  and 
died  here  February  6,  1847,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  her 
age.  Mr.  Ormsby's  farm  was  on  the  West  side  of 
Wright's  Mountain.  He  died  in  the  family  of  Lewis  Jen 
kins,  his  son-in-law,  at  Fairlee,  October  22,  1861,  at  the 
age  of  eighty- seven  years.  He  had  a  family  of  ten  child 
ren,  namely: 

1.  Timothy  Ormsby,  born  November  14,  1799. 

2.  Mary,  born  August  18,  1802,  married  a  Mr.  Gate. 


354 

Years  after  his  decease  she  went  with  her  son  into  the 
Western  country,  and  at  this  date  is  still  living. 

3.  Eliza,  born  October  6,  1804,  married  Lewis  Jenk 
ins,  of  Fairlee,  and  there  resides,  having  a  pleasant  family 
and  situation.     She  and  her  sister  Mary  when  young  be 
came  members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford. 

4.  Nancy,  born  February  28,  1807,   married   Daniel 
Rowe,  and  died  at  Manchester  in  1870. 

5.  Emily,  born  March  20,  1809,  married  Sanborn  Cor 
liss,  and  lives  in  Missouri. 

6  and  7.     Charlotte  and  Annah  died  in  childhood. 

9.  Charlotte,  born  July  27,  1818,  married  John  Row 
land,  and  settled  in  Topsham,  Vt. 

10.  Joseph,  born  September  7,  1820,  married  Orissa 
Dickey,  who  died  in  1850.     He  subsequently  married  a 
Miss  Daniels. 

8.  Rufus  F.  Ormsby,  Jr.,  born  October  7,  1815,  mar 
ried  December  14,  1848,  Mary  H.  Colby,  daughter  of  Cur 
tis  Colby,  of  Bradford,  where  they  at  this  date  continue 
to  reside,  blessed  with  four  daughters. 

Sarah  E.,  born  December  8, 1849,  married  April  7, 1873, 
Gregory  B.  Durgin,  of  this  town,  where  they  continue  to 
reside. 

Jennie  N.,  born  January  21,  1852,  married  Horace  P. 
Emerson,  January  2,  1871.  They  have  one  son. 

Emma  M.,  born  November  2,  1854. 

Etta  C.,  born  May  8,  1857. 

Mr.  Rufus  F.  Ormsby,  Jr.,  and  family,  lived  for  several 
years  on  the  farm  which  his  father  had  occupied  before 
him,  west  of  Wright's  Mountain;  but  in  1860  moved  to 
the  meadow  farm,  which  he  at  this  date  still  occupies, 
called  the  Albee  place,  in  the  south-east  corner  of  Brad 
ford,  and  bordering  on  Connecticut  River.  In  that  some 
what  retired  but  pleasant  location,  Mr.  Ormsby  enjoys  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  and  is  at 
this  date  one  of  the  Selectmen  of  Bradford. 


355 

Another  son  of  Joseph,  and  brother  of  Rufus,  the  first 
of  that  name  above  mentioned,  was  Thomas  Ormsby,  born 
Jan.  13,  1784.  He  married  Susan  Leslie,  of  Bradford, 
December  4,  1806.  They  had  four  children,  namely, 
Charity,  born  October  2,  1807,  died  September  11,  1854. 
Christiana,  born  February  2,  1810;  Joseph  W.,  born 
February  2,  1812,  and  died  September  3,  1857,  and 
Susan  M.,  born  December  11,  1815.  She  married  Lor 
enzo  Tabor,  Esq.,  of  Bradford,  and  removed  with  him 
to  Adrian,  Michigan,  where  they  at  this  writing  are 
still  living.  See  account  of  the  Tabor  family.  Mr.  Thom 
as  Ormsby  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  a  man  of  decidedly 
Christian  character,  and  withal  quite  a  poet.  A  specimen 
of  his  versification,  styled  "  The  Bower  of  Prayer,"  may 
be  seen  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book.  He  died  at 
Bradford,  May  21,  1824,  in  the  forty-first  year  of  his  age. 
His  widow  died  at  Adrian,  February  13,  1863. 

Joseph  Ormsby,  M.  D.,  a  skillful  physician  and  man  of 
ability,  who  practiced  for  several  years  in  Corinth,  and 
died  there,  was  a  brother  of  Thomas,  last  named. 

ORMSBY. 

Robert  McKinsley  Ormsby,  attorney-at-law  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  was  a  native  of  Corinth,  Vermont. 
His  father,  Dr.  Joseph  Ormsby,  for  several  years  a  prac 
ticing  physician  in  that  town,  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Orms 
by,  of  Fairlee,  who  was  a  son  of  Ichabod  Ormsby,  of 
Woodstock,  Conn.  Dr.  Joseph  Ormsby  married  Miss  Mar 
tha  Soule,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  October  29,  1809,  and  at 
Corinth  continued  to  reside  during  the  remainder  of  their 
days.  They  were  a  couple  of  decided  talent,  vivacity, 
and  energy  of  character.  The  doctor  was  esteemed 
well  read  and  skillful  in  his  profession.  They  had  a  fam-v 
ily  of  six  sons,  all  natives  of  Corinth.  Of  these  two  died 
in  their  childhood.  Thomas,  the  eldest  son,  died  unmar- 


356 

ried,  in  his  twenty-ninth  year.     Rufus,  the  fourth  son, 
died  some  five  or  six  years  later,  at  about  the  same  age. 

Robert  McKinsley,  of  whom  we  now  propose  to  speak 
somewhat  more  particularly,  was  born  June  29,  1814.  On 
the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  September  6,  1822, 
in  the  forty-sixth  year  of  the  doctor's  age,  this  son, 
then  in  his  ninth  year,  went  to  live  with  Mr.  Ezra  Childs, 
of  Bath,  N.  H.,  where  he  remained,  receiving  the  advan 
tages  of  common  school  instruction,  till  fifteen  years  of 
age.  In  1831  he  attended  Bradford,  Vt.,  Academy  three 
terms.  In  1833  he  went  to  Massilon,  Ohio,  where  he  re 
mained  till  1836,  when  he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  resided  there  till  1842.  At  Louisville  he  studied  law 
with  the  late  Hon.  I.  I.  Marshall,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1840.  In  1842  the  death  of  his  mother  occasioned 
his  return  to  Vermont.  She  died  on  the  14th  of  July, 
1842,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  her  age,  having  remained 
in  widowhood  nearly  twenty  years. 

Esq.  R.  McK.  Ormsby  opened  a  law  office  at  Bradford, 
Vt.,  in  1844,  and  there  continued  in  successful  business 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  when  in  1866  he  removed  to 
the  city  of  New  York.  The  year  in  which  he  commenced 
business  in  Bradford,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Asa  Low,  a 
large  dealer  in  school  books,  Mr.  Ormsby  prepared  a  spell 
ing  book  which  has  been  used  to  some  extent,  especially 
in  Vermont.  Desirous  that  Mr.  Webster  should  be  nomi 
nated  for  the  Presidency  in  1852,  Mr.  Ormsby  for  a  short 
time  previous  to  that  date  published  in  Bradford  a  news 
paper  called  the  Northern  Enquirer,  and  in  1859  he  pub 
lished  in  Boston  a  volume  of  some  370  12mo.  pages,  enti 
tled  "A  History  of  the  Whig  Party,"  a  work  prepared 
with  painstaking  and  ability,  but,  like  the  party  itself, 
now  almost  forgotten  amid  the  tumultuous  strife  of  later 
organizations.  Since  the  publication  of  the  work  last 
named,  the  author  has  devoted  his  attention  more  exclu 
sively  to  the  appropriate  business  of  his  legal  profession. 


357 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1857,  Robert  McK.  Ormsby 
and  Miss  Lucy  Jane  Murphy,  of  Bradford,  were  by  Rev. 
S.  McKeen  united  in  marriage.  There  have  been  born  to 
them  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Edward  Everett  was  born  November  11,  1858. 

Laura  Arabella  and  Lucy  Malvina,  twin  sisters,  were 
born  July  22,  1860.  The  last  named  died  February  14, 
1861. 

Charles  Arthur,  born  January  9,  1863,  died  April  25, 
1864. 

Edward  E.  Ormsby,  when  in  his  "fifth  year,  was  by  scar 
let  fever  rendered  totally  deaf.  His  health  has  since  been 
delicate.  He  is  a  bright  and  pleasant  boy,  in  whose  due 
education  his  parents  feel  deeply  interested.  He  is  a  pu 
pil  in  the  Institute  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in  New  Ybrk 
city,  and  his  parents  have  established  themselves  so  near 
that  they  can  have  him  with  them  two  days  in  a  week. 
He  is  understood  to  be  making  fine  improvement,  and  to 
be  quite  a  favorite  with  his  Principal  and  Teachers. 
Such  institutions  are  surely  among  the- richest  blessings 
of  the  age  in  which  we  live. 

John  Bliss  Ormsby,  M.  D.,  the  youngest  son  of  Dr.  Jo 
seph  and  Martha  S.  Ormsby,  of  Corinth,  was  born  there 
January  2,  1821.  Before  he  reached  the  age  of  two  years 
his  father  died,  and  he  remained  with  his  mother  till  ten 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  taken  to  a  friendly  family  in 
Bath,  N.  H.,  where  he  resided  till  sixteen.  In  1838  he 
commenced  work  at  the  carding  and  cloth  dressing  Busi 
ness,  at  which  he  labored  till  1846,  when,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
entered  the  private  class  of  Prof.  Benj.  R.  Palmer,  of 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  graduated  at  the  Vermont  Medical 
College  in  June,  1849.  In  October  of  that  year  Dr.  Orms 
by  began  practice  in  his  native  town  of  Corinth,  and  in 
February,  1850,  he  married  Miss  Malina  L.  M.  Baker, 
daughter  of  Enoch  Baker,  Esq.,  of  Shipton,  Canada  East. 


358 

The  consumptive  condition  of  his  wife  rendering  a  change 
of  climate  necessary,  he  removed  in  1854  to  Wisconsin. 
In  1865  occurred  the  death  of  his  wife.  In  1867  his  own 
health,  under  the  malarial  influence  of  that  climate,  hav 
ing  failed,  he  returned  East,  and  in  1868  came  to  Brad 
ford,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside,  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  esteemed  a  skillful  physician,  but  in  feeble 
health.  He  has  at  this  writing  three  children,  namely  : 
Clara  Martha,  born  March  31,  1852  ;  Thomas  Edwin,  born 
April  13,  1855  ;  and  Robert  Silas,  born  November  26, 
1865.  Dr.  Ormsby  is  at  this  date  (1874)  President  of  the 
Bradford  Scientific  Society, 


359 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Deacon  George  L.  Butler — James  D.  Clark — Captain  Charles  Rog- 
erk — John  Flanders — David  Manson — and  Families. 


DEACON  GEORGE  L.  BUTLER  AND  FAMILY. 

George  Little  Butler  was  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Aphia 
B.  Butler,  his  wife,  of  Plymouth,  N.  H.  The  family  of 
these  worthy  parents  consisted  of  eleven  sons  and  daugh 
ters,  among  whom  George  L.,  the  first,  was  born  August 
22, 1817.  During  his  minority  he  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents,  but  in  April,  1839,  came  to  Bradford,  Vt., 
and  lived  for  some  time  in  the  friendly  family  of  Mr. 
John  B.  Woodward,  of  this  place.  His  main  object  in 
coming  was  to  attend  the  Academy  here,  as  much  of  the 
time  for  two  or  three  years  as  he  could,  consistently  with 
paying  his  expenses  in  the  meanwhile  by  manual  labor 
and  teaching,  for  some  part  of  each  year.  But  a  long 
and  expensive  sickness,  in  the  course  of  the  first  year, 
with  its  consequent  pecuniary  embarrassments,  compelled 
him  to  abandon  that  worthy  object,  which  he  has  ever 
since  deeply  regretted.  On  ^recovering  his  health  in  a 
good  degree,  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  carriage  mak 
ing  and  painting,  which  he  followed  with  fair  success  for 
fifteen  years,  when,  finding  the  occupation  too  laborious 
for  his  not  very  firm  state  of  health,  he  gave  it  up  for 
that  of  a  furniture  dealer  and  undertaker,  in  which  at 
this  writing  he  still  continues,  his  establishment  being 
the  next  immediately  south  of  the  Trotter  Hotel. 

Mr.  Butler  was  from  early  youth  extremely  fond  of 
music,  arid  being  possessed  of  a  good  voice,  and  using  to 
the  best  advantage  his  limited  means  and  opportunities 
for  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  that  interesting  science  and 
art,  he  became  in  early  manhood  a  competent  choir  lead 
er  and  successful  vocal  music  teacher,  and  was  thus  oc- 


360 

cupied  in  his  native  town  for  two  years.  In  Bradford 
and  adjacent  towns  he  taught  with  good  success,  general 
ly  in  the  winters,  for  twenty-five  consecutive  years,  and 
led  the  choir  of  the  Congregational  church  in  this  place 
for  thirty  years,  without  a  quarrel ! 

Mr.  Butler,  enjoying  in  a  high  degree  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  townsmen,  was  elected  Town  Clerk  in 
1851,  and  Representative  to  the  State  Legislature  in 
1860-61,  serving  not  only  in  the  regular  sessions  of  those 
years,  but  also  in  the  extra  session  of  April,  1861,  in  view 
of  the  impending  war  of  the  rebellion. 

In  youth  Mr.  Butler  was  divinely  led,  as  he  then  and 
has  subsequently  believed,  to  consecrate  himself  to  the 
blessed  Saviour,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  united  with 
the  Congregational  church  in  his  native  town,  and  so 
continued  until  in  1844,  July  the  5th,  his  membership  was 
duly  transferred  to  the  church  of  the  same  denomination 
in  Bradford.  In  July,  1866,  he  was  elected  a  deacon  in 
this  church,  and  also  its  treasurer,  in  which  offices  he  has 
given  good  satisfaction. 

In  his  domestic  relations,  Deacon  Butler  has  been  for 
tunate  and  happy.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Jane  Clark,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Charles  and  Mrs.  Harriet  Baton  Clark, 
formerly  of  this  town.  They  were  united  in  marriage 
October  30,  1844.  Mrs.  Butler  had  united  with  the  Con 
gregational  church  here  the  year  before  her  marriage, 
and  continued  a  beloved  member  during  the  remainder  of 
her  days.  She  was  a  kind  and  affectionate  friend,  a 
cheerful,  loving  wife,  a  devoted  and  withal  truly  Chris 
tian  mother,  and  in  declining  health  and  the  near  pros 
pect  of  death  was  divinely  sustained  and  comforted.  She 
died  of  consumption,  June  7,  1855,  in  the  tbirty-ninfti 
year  of  her  age,  leaving  two  children,  George  C.  and 
Alice  Jane,  both  of  whom  became  hopefully  pious  in  their 
youth,  and  united  with  the  same  church  to  which  their 
mother  had  belonged. 


361 

George  Clark  Butler,  born  December  3, 1849,  was  unit 
ed  in  marriage  with  Miss  Addie  B.  Taplin,  of  Corinth, 
December  3,  1872,  and  has  subsequently  been  employed 
as  clerk,  or  book-keeper,  in  a  railroad  office  at  St.  Albans, 
Vt.,  where  he  and  his  wife  reside.  They  have  one  daugh 
ter. 

Miss  Alice  Jane  Butler,  born  July  1,  1851,  married, 
December  4,  1871,  Mr.  John  T.  Cutter,  Jr.,  a  grain  and 
flour  dealer  of  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  and  there  has  her  home. 

In  the  course  of  two  or  three  years  after  the  death  of 
his  first  wife,  Deacon  Butler  married,  April  6, 1858,  Mrs. 
Laura  A.  Eastman,  an  estimable  widow  lady  of  Newbury, 
Vt.,  who  proved  to  be  a  great  blessing,  not  only  to  him, 
personally,  but  to  his  children  also,  whom  she  cordially 
received  as  her  own,  and  by  them  was  at  once  and  per 
manently  highly  esteemed  in  filial  love  and  confidence. 
Mrs.  Butler  is  a  beloved  member  of  the  same  church  with 
her  husband.  They  at  this  date  are  happily  living,  as 
for  years  they  have  been,  in  their  pleasant  "  Suburban 
Cottage,"  a  little  north  of  Bradford  village,  built  in  1859, 
from  a  draft  entirely  his  own. 

* 

JAMES  DATON  CLARK  AND  FAMILY. 

With  regard  to  the  parentage  and  relatives  of  Mr.  J.  D. 
Clark,  it  may  be  remarked  that  Mrs.  Lois  Clark,  his  fa 
ther's  mother,  became  a  resident  of  Bradford  early  in  the 
present  century.  Her  husband  was  a  wool  dealer  in  Bos 
ton,  where  he  died  in  1802.  She  was  left  with  an  in 
teresting  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  wor 
thy  of  individual  notice  in  this  connection. 

1.  Calvin  Clark,  became  a  merchant  in  Boston,  of  the 
firm  of  May  &  Clark.     Retired  from  business,  he  is  at  this 
time  residing  at  Boston  Highlands. 

2.  William  Clark,  removed  to  Alabama,  and  died  there. 
His  daughter,  Sybil,  remained  in  Bradford,  and  became 
24 


362 

the  wife  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Hardy.     See  account  of  the  Hardy 
family. 

3.  Thomas  Clark,  Esq.,  settled  in  Paris,  Maine,  and 
was  for  some  time  Clerk  of  Oxford  County  Court. 

4.  Abigail  Clark,  married  William  Stratton,  a  farmer 
in  Winslow,  Me.     They  have  an  interesting  family  of  five 
sons  and  five  daughters.     She  at  this  writing  is  still  liv 
ing. 

5.  Lois  Clark,  married  David  Hartwell,  a  respectable 
merchant  and  hotel  keeper  in  Bradford,  removed  to  Ala 
bama,  and  died  there.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Congre 
gational  church  in  Bradford,  and  a  very  estimable  lady. 

6.  Miss  Elizabeth  Clark,  married  Jesse  Merrill,  Esq., 
for  many  years  a  practicing  attomey-at-law  in  Bradford, 
and  for  seven  years,  not  consecutive,  a  Rspresentative  of 
this  town  in  the  State  Legislature.     Mrs.  Merrill,  after 
the  decease  of  her  husband,  and  in  view  of  her  own  de 
parture,  bequeathed  in  trust  to  the  trustees  of  Bradford 
Academy  two  thousand  dollars,  and  something  over,  to  be 
safely  invested,  and  the  interest  annually  applied  to  the 
purchase  of  books  and  apparatus  for  the  benefit  of  that 
institution.     Hence  the  "  Merrill  Library/'  which,  already 
valuable,  is  yearly  increasing.     May  it  long  continue,  an 
honor  to  its  worthy  founder,  and  a  blessing  to  successive 
generations  of  the  young  people  who  may  be  favored  with 
its  advantages.     She  died  January  5,  1859,  aged  sixty- 
four. 

6.  Charles  Clark,  a  brother  of  the  above  named,  was 
for  some  years  a  merchant  in  Bradford,  of  the  firm  of 
Clark  &  Moore.  He  married  Harriet  Dayton,  daughter  of 
James  Daton,  Esq.,  of  Orford,  N.  H.  They  had  one.  son, 
James  D.  Clark,  and  one  daughter,  Jane,  who  became  the 
first  wife  of  Mr.  George  L.  Butler,  of  Bradford.  Mr. 
Clark,  being  unsuccessful  in  mercantile  business  here, 
went  to  Alabama,  and  after  a  short  residence  there,  in  de 
clining  health  set  out  on  a  journey  to  his  home  in  the 


363 

North  ;  but  died  at  Petersburg,  Virginia,  in  or  near  the 
year  1819.  His  widow  subsequently  married  Mr.  Elisha 
Corliss,  of  Orford,  N.  H.,  both  now  deceased.  They  had 
four  children.  Harriet  Dayton ;  Elisha  M.,  who  is  now 
married  and  living  in  California ;  Charles,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seven,  and  John,  now  living  in  Fairlee,  Vt. 
His  very  estimable  and  pious  sister,  Miss  Harriet  Cor 
liss,  died  at  his  house  some  years  since. 

Mr.  James  Daton  Clark,  son  of  Charles,  the  merchant, 
was  born  at  Bradford,  May  22,  1817.  After  his  father's 
decease,  he  lived  with  his  mother  and  her  relatives  for 
several  years,  when  he  went  to  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
book  binder's  occupation  in  Concord,  N.  H.  Thence  he 
returned  to  Bradford,  and  successfully  prosecuted  that 
business  here  for  a  long  time.  During  the  great  anti-slav 
ery  conflict  Mr.  Clark  was  firm  and  zealous  for  the  right, 
and  so  continued  until,  by  means  unexpected,  the  great 
object  was  secured,  and  liberty  proclaimed  through  all  the 
land  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof.  In  1861  Mr.  Clark  re 
moved  to  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  and  from  there,  in  1864,  to 
Montpelier,  where  for  the  ten  years  past  he  has  continued 
to  reside,  engaged  still  in  his  accustomed  occupation. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Clark  married  Miss  Mary  Sexton,  of  Bradford. 
Her  father,  Major  Sexton,  was  an  officer  in  the  troops 
called  out  for  the  defense  of  our  Northern  Frontier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  He  came  to  Bradford  in  1830,  and  built  an 
iron  foundry  in  this  village,  which  in  the  course  of  a  *few 
years  passed  into  tlie  hands  of  Horace  Strickland,  Esq., 
and  has  since  been  successfully  Occupied  under  his  man 
agement.  Mr.  Sexton  died  in  Bradford  in  1836,  leaving 
five  children :  Emeline,  Philo,  John,  Mary,  and  Hiram. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  were  both  members  of  the  Congre 
gational  church  in  Bradford.  They  had  four  sons,  all  na 
tives  of  this  town. 

1.  Dwight  Sexton  Clark,  born  April  10,  1841,  a  print 
er  in  Boston,  Mass. 


364 

2.  Charles  Edgar  Clark,  born  August  10, 1843,  through 
the  influence  of  Hon.  Justin  S.  Merrill,  Member  of  Con 
gress  from  this  district,  was  appointed  a  Cadet  Midship 
man  to  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis, 
Maryland  in  1860,  and  in  1863  was  ordered  into  active 
service.  From  that  time  until  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  attached  to  the  Western  Gulf  Blockading  Squadron, 
under  Admiral  Farragut,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Mo 
bile  Bay,  August  5,  1863,  in  the  attack  upon  and  capture 
of  Fort  Morgan,  on  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  and  in 
several  minor  affairs  on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
coast  of  Texas. 

Since  the  war  Lieutenant  Commander  Clark  has  been 
employed  mainly  on  the  Pacific  and  West  India  stations, 
and  has  made  sevefal  short  cruises  on  the  coasts,  not  only 
of  our  own  country,  but  of  Europe.     He  has  also  been  on 
duty  at  the  Navy  Yards  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  and  Ports 
mouth,  N.  H.,  and  during  the  years  1870-1-2  and  3,  was 
Instructor  in  the  Naval  Academy,  and  assistant  to  the 
Commandant  of  Midshipmen.     He  was  attached  to  the 
flagship  of  Admiral  Thatcher  when  Queen  Emma  was  car 
ried  home  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  to  the  flagship  of 
Commodore  Rodgers  when  that  officer  urged  in  vain  the 
English  Admiral  to  unite  with  him  and  prevent  the  bom 
bardment  of  Valparaiso.     He  witnessed  also  the  severe 
engagement  between  the  Spanish  fleet  and  Peruvian  bat 
teries  at  Callao.     He  was  on  board  the  United  States 
ship  Suwanee  when  that  vessel  was  lost  near  the  coast  of 
British  Columbia,  July  7,  1868,  and  when  the  larger  por 
tion  of  the  officers  and  crew  were  taken  by  Her  British 
Magesty's    ship     Sparrow-Hawk   from   Hope   Island,   on 
which  they  had  landed,  he  remained  in  command  of  the 
party  which  was  left  to  protect  from  the  Indians  what  had 
been  saved  from  the  wreck,  until  relieved  by  a  steamer 
sent  for  that  purpose  by  Admiral  Thatcher. 

Mr.  Clark  was  promoted,  October,  1863,  to  the  grade  of 


365 

Ensign;  May,  1866,  to  that  of  Master;  February,  1867, 
to  that  of  Lieutenant;  and  March,  1868,  to  that  of  Lieu 
tenant  Commander;  which  position,  after  the  lapse  of  six 
years,  he  stiil  holds.  He  seems  to  have  acquitted  himself 
with  honor  in  the  various  positions  which  he  has  been 
called  to  occupy,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  only  young 
man  from  Bradford  who  has  been  duly  educated  for  office 
in  the  United  States  Navy.  He  was  married  April  8, 
18 69,  to  Miss  Maria  Louisa  Davis,  daughter  of  W.  T.  Davis, 
Esq.,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.  They  have  two  daughters, 
Mary  Louisa,  born  March  10,  1870,  -and  Carrie  Russell, 
born  January  7,  1872. 

3.  The   third   son   of  J.   D.   Clark   and  wife,  named 
George  Butler,  died  in  his  infancy. 

4.  Grenville  Loyd  Clark,  born  October  20,  1850,  has 
remained  with  his  parents,  and  at  this  date  is  actively  en 
gaged,  in  company  with  his  father,  in  the  useful  business 
of  book  binding,  paper  ruling,  and  blank  book  manufactur 
ing,  at  Montpelier,  Vt. 

CAPTAIN  CHARLES  ROGERS  AND  FAMILY. 

Captain  Charles  Rogers  was  a  native  of  Orford,  N.  H., 
born  October  7, 1795.  His  father,  Nathaniel  Rogers,  was 
a  descendant  of  John  Rogers,  the  martyr,  and  his  mother, 
wife  of  Nathaniel,  was  Eunice  Allen,  a  near  relative  of 
Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  of  Vermont.  Captain  Charles  Rog 
ers  married  Permelia  H.  Ramsey,  a  descendant  of  the 
fifth  generation  from  Mrs.  Hannah  Dustin,  the  heroic  In 
dian  captive  of  New  England  feme.  Captain  Rogers  re 
moved  with  his  family  from  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  to  this  town, 
in  the  spring  of  1846.  These  parents  had  eight  sons  and 
three  daughters,  of  whom  all,  with  the  exception  of  two, 
lived  to  the  age  of  maturity.  Five  sons  and  two  daugh 
ters  at  this  date,  August,  1874,  are  still  living. 

Nearly  all  these  children  received  instruction  in  Brad- 


366 

ford  Academy,  and  in  the  business  of  life  have  had  a  fair 
degree  of  success.  Four  of  the  sons,  Charles,  James, 
George  and  William,  are  lawyers.  The  two  first  named 
are  located  at  Burlingame,  Kansas ;  George,  at  Eureka, 
in  that  state  ;  and  William  at  Fort  Atkinson,  Wisconsin. 
James  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  in  the  class 
of  1851.  In  his  adopted  State  he  has  several  times  been 
a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  both  of  the  House  and 
the  Senate,  and  for  some  years  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education.^  The  other  son,  Barton,  is  a  clergy 
man,  now  located  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  The  Jefferson 
Liberal  Institute,  a  flourishing  seminary  of  learning,  lo 
cated  at  Jefferson,  Wisconsin,  owes  its  origin  to  him. 
In  1862,  Lambard  University,  of  Illinois,  conferred  on  him 
the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  Captain  Rogers 
had  six  sons  living,  all  patriotic  young  men,  who  devoted 
themselves  to  their  country's  service,  and  were  all  in  the 
war  at  the  same  time.  George,  who  enlisted  as  a  private, 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier  General.  He  was 
in  several  hotly  contested  battles,  and  several  times 
slightly  wounded.  Barton  served  as  Chaplain  of  the 
Fifteenth  Illinois  Infantry  for  nearly  three  years.  All, 
with  the  exception  of  Thomas,  survived  the  hardships 
and  perils  of  the  war,  and  lived  to  see  the  independence 
and  integrity  of  our  country  preserved  and  firmly  estab 
lished  ;  he,  'brave  fellow,  lost  his  life  in  Arkansas. 

As  it  regards  the  marriages  and  domestic  relations  of 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  Captain  Rogers,  we  are  able  to 
give  only  the  following  brief  account : 

Charles  married  Miss  Fannie  Clark,  of  Patterson,  N.  J. 
They  have  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

James  married  Mary  Harper,  of  Sandwich,  Mass.  They 
had  one  son  and  one  daughter.  After  the  decease  of  this, 
his  first  wife,  he  married  a  lady  from  Kinderhook,  N.  Y. 


367 

Barton  married  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Vedder,  of  Berlin, 
Wisconsin.  They  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

George  married  Miss  Josie  Carey,  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
They  have  one  son. 

William  married  Miss  Nettie  Horton,  of  Bradford,  Vt, 
They  have  two  sons. 

Thomas,  who  died  in  the  army,  never  married. 

Elizabeth,  a  sister  of  the  above-named  sons,  married 
John  L.  Fitch,  of  Manchester,  N.  H.  They  had  three 
daughters.  The  remains  of  this  entire  family  repose  side 
by  side  in  the  cemetery  of  Manchester. 

Mira  married  Eleazer  M.  Hall,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt., 
and  is  settled  there. 

And  Miss  Emma  is  at  this  date  still  with  her  father  in 
Bradford. 

Mrs.  Rogers,  mother  of  this  family,  died  December  15, 
1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  . 

Captain  Charles  Rogers,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years,  still  in  very  comfortable  health,  has  through  life 
been  an  honest,  hard  working  man;  from  the  beginning 
of  the  anti-slavery  movement,  one  of  its  earnest  promot 
ers  ;  and  in  him  the  temperance  cause  has  invariably  had 
a  warm  and  steadfast  friend.  He  is  still  living  in  the 
nice  stone  cottage,  the  only  one  in  this  village,  which  he 
built  several  years  ago,  enjoying  the  kind  regards  of  all 
around  him. 

THE  FLANDERS  FAMILY. 

The  first  settler  of  this  family  name  in  Bradford,  was 
John  Flanders,  a  son  of  Ezra  Flanders,  of  Hawke,  now 
Danville,  N.  H.,  born  there  January  24,  1769.  He  mar 
ried  Rebecca  Pettingill,  February  24, 1794.  She  was  a 
native  of  Salisbury  in  that  State  ;  born  March  11,  1772. 
They  removed  to  this  town  in  1798,  and  settled  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Thaddeus  Simpson,  where  they  lived 


368 

for  several  years  and  most  of  their  children  were  born. 
At  the  time  of  their  settlement  here  on  their  mountain 
farm,  flour,  and  all  kinds  of  meaj,  were  so  difficult  to  be 
obtained,  that  for  the  first  six  weeks  they  lived  on  pota 
toes  and  meat,  without  bread,  when  their  father,  Ezra 
Flanders,  then  a  resident  in  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  sent  his 
youngest  son  through  the  woods  and  new  settlements,  the 
distance  of  some  seventy  miles,  on  horseback,  with  two 
bushels  of  corn,  for  their  relief.  Let  us  not  in  these  days 
complain  of  hard  times.  Mr.  John  Flanders  and  wife  had 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely  : 

1.  Andrew  Pettingill  Flanders,  born  in  Warner,  N.  H., 
September  19,  1796,  came  to  Bradford  with  his  parents. 
As  he  grew  up  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and,  when  of  age,  married  Sally  Crane,  of  Bradford,  Sep 
tember  11,  1825.     They  remained  in  this  town  and  had  a 
family  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  now  de 
ceased  but  one. 

Amos  married,  and  died  here  but  a  few  years  since. 

Benjamin  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Chamberlin,  of  this 
town,  built  a  nice  residence  at  Bradford  Center,  and  died 
young.  His  widow  married  Cyrus  Curtis,  and  with  her 
husband  has  for  several  years  been  keeping  a  fine  millin 
ery  establishment  in  this  village.  One  of  the  daughters, 
Julia  A.,  married  Edwin  Rodgers,  of  Newbury,  but  has 
deceased,  and  her  sisters,  Rebecca,  Ruth,  and  Sarah,  died 
young, 

Mr.  John  Flanders,  now  the  only  surviving  member  of 
this  family,  graduated  at  the  Vermont  University  ;  stud 
ied  law  ;  married  Miss  Jenney  Hutchinson,  of  Canaan,  N. 
H.,  and  has  for  years  been  engaged,  it  is  understood,  ex 
tensively  and  profitably  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  the  city  of  New  York, 

2.  Sarah  was  born  in  Bradford,  January  15,  1798,  died 
September  30,  1864. 


369 

3.  Moses  Flanders,  born  June  19,  1801,  married  Abi 
gail  Cass,  December  6,  1827. 

4.  Elias  S.  Flanders,  born  January  17,  1807,  married 
Matilda  Heath,  and  continues  at  this  date  to  reside  in  Brad 
ford.     They  have  two  sons  and  a  daughter.     Their  eldest 
son,  Edmund   Gr.,  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  occupation, 
married   Miss  Clemantine  Richardson,  of  Orford,  N.  H., 
where  they  reside.     Mary  Abbie,  his  sister,  married  Jesse 
A.  Warren,  a  dealer  in  boots,  shoes,  etc.,  in  this  village. 
They  have   two   children.      Thomas  Jefferson   Flanders 
spent  several  years  of  his  youth  as  a   clerk  in  different 
stores  in  this  village.     In  June,  1865,  he  was  appointed 
Postmaster,  in  which  office  he  continued  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  February  14,  1870,  in  the  thirty-third 
year  of  his  age.     In  this  office,  as  in  all  others  which  he 
was  called  to  occupy,  he   gave  high  satisfaction.     While 
holding  the  office  of  Postmaster  he  was  also,  for  the  last 
year  or  two  of  his  life,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Charles  H. 
Harding,  in  a  jeweler's  and  fancy  goods  establishment,  in 
which  they  did  a  profitable  businese.     Mr.  T.  J.  Flanders 
married  Miss  Kate  P.  Fabyan,  a  very  estimable  young  la 
dy,  then  of  this  village,  who  died  of  consumption  but  a 
f3w  months  before  him,  leaving  an  only  son  Albert,  a 
promising  boy,  who  on  the  death  of  his  lather  was  adopt 
ed  by  his  uncle,  Edmund  G.,  and  his  wife,  as  their  own. 
Mr.  T.  J.  Flanders  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Con 
gregational  church  here,  as  are  also  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Elias  S.  Flanders  died  July  12,  1862. 

5.  Mariam,   born  February  8,    1810,  married   Seneca 
Dickey,   removed   with    her  husband  into  the  Western 
country,  and  has  there  lately  deceased. 

6'.  Peter  Flanders,  born  January  14,  1813,  by  occupa 
tion  a  farmer,  married  Miss  Mary  Cass  ;  resided  for  sev 
eral  years  in  Bradford ;  and  finally  settled  in  Haverhill, 
N.  H.  They  have  one  son,  Nelson  Flanders,  who  was 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  and  at  Andover  Theo- 


370 

logical  Seminary,  and  is  a  highly  esteemed  young  minis 
ter  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Congregational  order. 

7.     Abigail  Flanders,  born  March  20,  1815. 

Of  this  first  Flanders  family  in  Bradford  only  two  mem 
bers  at  this  date  survive,  namely :  Elias  S.  Flanders,  of 
Bradford,  and  his  brother,  Peter  Flanders,  of  Haverhill. 
All  the  rest,  with  many  of  their  children,  years  since  fin 
ished  their  course  and  passed  away. 

DAVID  MANSON. 

Though  Mr.  Mauson  had  for  some  years  immediately 
preceding  his  decease  lived  in  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  more 
than  one  half  of  his  long  life  was  spent  in  Bradford, 
where  one  son  still  remains,  and  by  some  at  least  this 
worthy  father  will  be  long  and  respectfully  remembered. 

David  Manson  was  a  native  of  Kittery,  Maine,  near 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  born  there  May  30,  1782.  In  his 
youthful  days  he  had  some  experience  of  the  sailor's  life ; 
but  his  principal  occupation  during  early  manhood  was 
that  of  a  ship  carpenter.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Bradford,  and  set 
tled  down  on  a  farm  in  a  rather  retired  locality,  industri 
ously  devoting  himself  there  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  came  in  the  Spring  of  1810,  and  continued  a  resident 
of  the'  town  for  forty-six  years.  Several  of  the  last  years 
of  this  period  were  spent,  not  on  his  farm,  but  in  Bradford 
village. 

The  beloved  wife  of  his  youth  and  mother  of  his  child 
ren,  Sally  Tarlton,  died  in  1835.  He  subsequently  mar 
ried  a  very  estimable  lady,  Miss  Sarah  Tarlton,  a  niece  of. 
his  first  wife,  who  proved  to  be  to  him  a  great  comfort 
and  blessing  during  his  declining  years.  With  her  he 
removed,  1856,  to  Newmarket,  the  place  of  her  former 
residence ;  and  finally  died  there  as  above  stated,  at  the 
good  old  age  of  eighty -nine  years,  six  months  and  fifteen 
days. 


ffi 

Though  during  the  days  of  his  youth  and  early 
hood,  Mr.  Manson,  like  too  many  others,  lived  in  neglect 
of  the  great  salvation,  he  became  at  length  deeply  im 
pressed  by  religious  considerations,  obtained  a  comforta 
ble  hope  of  Divine  forgiveness,  and  heartily  consecrated 
himself  to  the  Redeemer's  service.  He  first  united  with 
the  so  called  Christian  church,  but  on  coming  to  live  in  the 
village  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  so 
remained. 

During  most  of  the  last  two  or  three  years  of  his  life 
there  was  a  sad  failure  of  his  intellectual  powers ;  his 
memory  was  almost  gone ;  his  mind  was  weak  and  wan 
dering  ;  but  he  was  to  the  last  m-ide  as  comfortable  as 
conjugal  and  filial  loving  kindness,  the  most  devoted, 
could  possibly  render  him.  What  a  satisfaction,  too,  it  is 
to  be  assured  that  in  such  a  state,  or  when  still  more  de 
plorably  bereft  of  reason,  the  life  of  the  real  Christian  is 
still  secure,  being  "  hid  with  Christ,  in  God." 

Before  this  calamity  occurred  Mr.  Manson  had  present 
iments  of  its  coming,  and  did  what  he  could  to  be  in  read 
iness  for  it.  He  set  his  secular  affairs  in  due  order,  and 
aimed  to  be  habitually  prepared  to  meet  his  God. 

In  his  last  will  and  testament  he,  like  Joseph  of  old, 
"  gave  commandment  concerning  his  bones,"  that  they 
should  be  conveyed  to  the  place  of  his  former  abode,  and 
laid  to  rest  with  their  kindred  dead,  until  called  forth 
to  life  by  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  in  the  morning  of 
the  general  resurrection.  He  even  gave  directions  in  re 
gard  to  the  religious  exercises  at  his  funeral,  so  far  at 
least  as  that  "  the  aged  Congregational  minister  in  Brad 
ford,  Rev.  Dr.  McKeen,  if  living  and  able,"  should  be  re 
quested  to  preach  his  funeral  sermon.  With  him  he  had 
been  long  and  pleasantly  acquainted,  while  of  any  other 
minister  who  might  be  officiating  in  the  place,  he  of 
course  could  have  no  knowledge.  To  all  of  which  re 
quests  his  widow  and  sons  paid  the  most  respectful  attention. 


372 

Mr.  Manson  died  at  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  December  15, 
1871,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 

His  funeral  was  attended  in  the  Congregational  church 
on  Wednesday,  the  20th  day  of  December,  by  a  respect 
ful  gathering  of  old  friends ;  and  in  the  religious  exer 
cises  the  officiating  pastors  of  the  Methodist  and  Congre 
gational  churches  rendered  fraternal  assistance.  The 
precious  remains,  tastefully  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and 
still  remarkably  retaining  their  natural  and  life-like  appear 
ance,  were  gently  laid  down  to  their  long  repose  by  venera 
ble  men,  former  neighbors  arid  friends  of  the  deceased. 

Beside  his  widow ,  Mr.  Manson  left  two  sons  and  a  daugh 
ter  ;  Mr.  George  Manson,  of  Bradford,  Mr.  John  T.  Man- 
son,  of  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Ira  Hiland,  also  of  Boston  •  who 
have  families  of  their  own. 

1.  George  Manson  was  born  at  South  Newmarket,  N. 
H.,  September  22,  1828.  He  was  brought  here  by  his 
parents  on  their  removal  to  this  place  in  the  Spring  of 
1830,  and  has  here  remained  a  worthy  inhabitant  for  some 
what  over  forty-four  years ;  being  chiefly  engaged  in  ag 
ricultural  pursuits.  On  the  4th  of  July,  18 — ,  he  was  mar 
ried  by  Rev.  S.  McKeen  with  Miss  Betsey  Wilson,  of  this 
town.  .These  parents  had  one  daughter,  Sarah  Ann,  who 
married  John  M.  Warren,  of  Swanville,  Maine,  and  had 
two  sons. 

After  the  decease  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  G.  Manson  married 
Miss  Mary  Taplin,  of  Corinth,  who  lived  but  a  few  months 
after  their  marriage. 

He  then  married  Miss  Rebecca  Heaton,  of  Hanover,  N. 
H.,  who  deceased,  leaving  two  daughters  and  one  son. 
The  eldest  daughter  married  Gardner  Gaffield,  of  Brad 
ford.  They  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Charles 
A.  Manson  married  Evelyn  Lund,  of  Piermont,  N.  H. 
They  have  one  son  and  one  daughter.  His  sister,  Abbie 
F.,  married  Frank  Chamberlin,  of  this  town.  They  have 
one  daughter. 


373 

Mr.  G.  Manson  married  for  his  fourth  wife  the  widow 
Bean,  a  worthy  lady,  then  of  Bradford,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Amanda  Tibbets. 

2.  Martha,   daughter  of  David  Manson,  a  native  of 
Bradford,  married  Ira  Hiland,  of  this  town,  formerly  ;  but 
subsequently  of  Boston.     They  have  one  daughter. 

3.  John  T.  Manson,  born  in  Bradford,  married  Mary 
Sawyer,  of  Litchfield,  Maine.     He  is  engaged  in  the  mar 
ket  business  in  Boston.     They  have  two  daughters. 


374 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Hon.  J.  W.  Batchelder — Roswell  Farnham,  Esq. — Adams  Preston — 
William  B.  Stevens— C.  P.  Clark— B.  Hay— A.  Osborne— J.  K. 
Davis— Dea.  Israel  Cummings— and  Families. 

HON.  JOHN  W.  BATCHELDER,  AND  FAMILY. 

Mr.  Batchelder  was  a  native  of  Bradford,  a  lawyer  by 
profession,  and  for  years  filled  various  offices  of  trust  and 
importance  in  this  community,  with  credit  to  himself  and 
public  satisfaction. 

His  grandfather,  Isaiah  Batchelder,  and  family,  removed 
from  Warren,  N.  H.,  to  this  town,  some  time  near  the 
close  of  the  last  century,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the 
west  side  of  Wright's  Mountain.  After  a  residence  there 
of  twenty  years  or  more  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Erie 
County,  Penn.  His  son,  Samuel  Batchelder,  remained  in 
this  town,  and  in  1809  married  Jane  Wilson,  a  native  of 
Windham,  N.  H.,  daughter  of  Thomas  Wilson,  who  had 
for  several  years  been  a  resident  of  Bradford.  These 
were  the  parents  of  John  W.  Batchelder,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  birth  were  dwelling  in  a  house  with  Mr.  John  Flan 
ders,  on  the  farm  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  which 
Mr.  David  Norcross  now  occupies.  He  was  born  Decem 
ber  9%1812,  and  when  he  was  six  months  of  age  his  pa 
rents  removed  to  Topsham,  and  settled  on  a  farm  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  East  village.  There  in 
his  youthful  days  John  was  accustomed  to  work  during 
the  summer  seasons  on  the  farm,  and  in  the  winters  to 
attend  the  district  school  at  the  village.  At  length,  anx 
ious  to  avail  himself  of  better  advantages,  he  attended 
Bradford  Academy  for  a  term,  and  that  at  Norwich  for  a 
while,  which  he  was  obliged  to  leave  sooner  than  he  in 
tended,  on  account  of  a  visitation  of  sickness.  Having 
recovered  from  this  prostration,  he  pursued  his  studies 


375 

with  Dr.  Hinckley,  of  Topsham,  for  a  while,  and  after  that 
for  a  year  with  Rev.  James  Milligan,  the  talented  Presby 
terian  minister  of  Ryegate. 

In  1840  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  P.  H. 
Baker,  Esq.,  of  Topsham,  who  died  in  about  a  year  after- 
Mr.  Batchelder  entered  his  office.  Then,  by  advice  of 
two  of  the  neighboring  lawyers,  who  knew  the  circum 
stances  of  the  young  man,  and  were  disposed  to  assist  him, 
he  opened  a  law  office  in  Topsham,  and  so,  in  a  small  way, 
uniting  practice  with  study,  persevered  till  duly  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Orange  County  Court,  at  their  December 
term,  in  1843. 

January  15,  1844,  J.  W.  Batchelder,  Esq.,  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Clark,  an  estimable  young  lady 
of  Newbury,  and  thence  onward  continued  in  business  at 
Topsham,  till  November,  1854,  when  he  moved  to  New 
bury  and  opened  an  office  there.  While  in  Topsham,  he 
not  only  did  a  fair  amount  of  business  as  a  lawyer,  but 
enjoyed  in  such  measure  the  favor  of  his  townsmen  that 
they  annually  elected  him  Town  Clerk  and  Town  Treas 
urer  for  seven  years  ;  Town  Agent,  seven  years  ;  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  ten  years ;  Representative  to  the  Legisla 
ture,  two  years  ;  and  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
^Convention  for  its  one  term.  During  his  residence  there, 
he  also  held  the  office  of  Register  of  Probate  two  years, 
and  that  of  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Orange  County  for 
two  years.  So  that  he  had  no  lack  of  honorable  and 
profitable  employment.  At  Newbury  he  remained  till 
March,  1856,  when  he  moved  to  Bradford,  and  became 
established  as  an  attorney  here,  doing  a  fair  business  in 
the  way  of  collecting  debts,  settling  estates,  and  acting 
as  Town  Agent  for  several  years.  In  1863  he  was  ap 
pointed  one  of  the  Directors  of  Bradford  Bank,  and  from 
January  1,  1865,  was  Cashier  of  the  same,  till  its  corpo 
rate  existence  was  honorably  terminated. 

In  October,  1867,  Esquire  Batchelder  left  Bradford,  and 


376 

with  his  family  resided  for  the  four  subsequent  years  at 
Alrnont,  Lapeer  County,  Michigan.  He  was  there  chiefly 
engaged  in  buying  and  selling  real  estate,  especially  pine 
lands,  in  which  business  he  had  fair  success.  In  October, 
1871,  he  returned  to  Bradford,  found  his  old  friends  still 
cordial,  and  business  in  the  line  of  his  profession  much  as 
formerly ;  but  after  a  residence  this  time  of  two  years,  he 
was  induced  to  remove  again  to  Michigan,  and  at  this 
date  (May,  1874,)  is  a  citizen  of  Detroit. 

In  his  family  Esq.  Batchelder  has  been  highly  blest. 
The  wife  of  his  youth,  an  estimable  Christian  lady,  and 
while  here  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
their  only  daughter  and  son,  worthy  young  people,  still 
live  to  comfort  him  and  each  other.  The  son  and  daugh 
ter  were  both  natives  of  Topsham. 

The  daughter,  Mattie  J.,  born  October  19,  1846,  grew 
up  an  amiable  young  lady,  having  taste  and  talent  for 
music,  but  being  specially  fond  of  penciling  and  painting, 
in  which  she  was  quite  proficient,  and  competent  to  give 
instruction.  She  was  married  August  13,  1873,  at  Brad 
ford,  with  Mr.  Charles  B.  Kidder,  of  Almont,,  Michigan, 
and  at  this  date  is  residing  with  her  husband,  at  Armada, 
Macomb  county,  in  the  same  State,  where  he,  as  Princi 
pal  of  the  Union  School  in  that  place,  and  a  man  of  intel- 
lectual 'and  moral  worth,  is  highly  esteemed. 

John  C.  Batchelder,  born  June  20,  1850,  became  a 
young  man  of  decided  gejiius  for  instrumental  music,  and 
skill  as  a  player,  especially  of  the  piano  and  organ.  He 
availed  himself  ol  the  best  advantages  for  improvement 
within  his  reach,  and  after  years  of  practice  commenced 
giving  private  instructions  to  learners  in  this  and  some  of 
the  neighboring  towns,  and  was  also  employed  as  organ 
ist  here  in  the  choir  of  the  Congregational  church.  Asa 
teacher  and  performer  of  instrumental  music  he  early 
gained  a  desirable  reputation. 

On  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Detroit,  in  the  autumn 


377 

of  1873,  he  went  with  them,  and  though  a  stranger  in  the 
city,  with  no  influential  musical  friend  to  introduce  him, 
he  soon  obtained  one  scholar,  and  that  in  a  little  while 
prepared  the  way  for  another,  and  yet  another,  until  with 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months  he  had  as  many  as  he  could 
possibly  attend  to,  and  was  also  employed  as  organist  in 
St.  Paul's  (Episcopal)  Church,  his  services  in  all  cases  be 
ing  highly  appreciated  and  handsomely  compensated. 
Mr.  Batchelder  has  made  no  attempt  to  play  showy  music, 
or  anything  of  the  flashy  kind,  but  his  aim  has  been  to 
play,  and  to  teach  his  scholars  to  play,  truly  good  music, 
with  scientific  correctness,  appropriate  spirit,  and  due 
effect.  And  as  a  correct,  tasteful  performer  he  has  ac 
quired  among  his  scholars  and  their  friends,  and  the 
church  choirs  who  have  become  acquainted  with  him,  an 
honorable  reputation. 

ROSWELL   FARNHAM,   ESQ.,   AND    FAMILY. 

In  the  first  place,  a  brief  sketch  of  his  ancestry.  And 
here  it  seems  appropriate  to  remark  that  there  has  been  a 
change  in  the  spelling  of  this  family  name,  from  Farnum 
to  Farnham,  by  general  consent,  as  will  hereafter  be 
seen. 

The  Farnums  are  of  English  descent.  The  first  of  the 
name  in  this  country  came  from  England,  settled  in  An- 
dover,  Mass.,  where  he  was  married  in  1658,  only  fifteen 
years  after  the  first  settlement  of  that  township.  His 
name  was  Ralph  Farnum.  Roswell  Farnum.  a  descend 
ant  of  the  sixth  generation  from  that  early  emigrant,  was 
born  in  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  in  1792.  He  married  first,  Ruth 
Bixby,  of  Piermont,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Cyrus  Co- 
nant  Farnham,  born  at  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  June  27,  1818. 
This  son  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  February  26, 1863, 
while  in  the  employment  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment,  in  the  Military  Telegraphic  Department. 

After  the  decease  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Roswell  Farnum 
25 


378 

married  Nancy  Bixby,  a  sister  of  the  deceased,  April  29, 
1822,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  Roswell  Farnham,  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  July  23,  1827,  and  a  daughter,  Laura  Ann 
Farnham,  born  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  who  now  resides  in 
Boston. 

In  1830  Mr.  Farnum  removed  with  his  family  from  Bos 
ton  to  Haverhill,  in  that  State,  where  they  resided  about 
ten  years,  and  in  1840  became  residents  of  Bradford,  Yt., 
where  the  parents  spent  their  remaining  days.  Mrs. 
Nancy  B.  Farnum,  a  pious  lady  and  worthy  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  died  here  January  30, 1860,  in 
the  sixty-sixth  year  of  her  age.  The  sermon  preached 
at  her  funeral  by  her  pastor  was  published.  Mr.  Farnum, 
her  husband,  a  worthy  citizen,  died  December  20,  of  the 
same  year,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 

About  this  time,  or  not  long  after,  by  mutual  under 
standing  and  agreement  among  the  younger  members  of 
the  Farnum  family,  through  nearly  all  of  its  branches, 
what  they  believed  to  be  the  original  and  correct  spelling 
of  their  name  was  resumed  ;  that  is,  Farnham,  instead  of 
Farnum ;  and  this  spelling  has  since  been  followed. 

Mr.  Roswell  Farnham,  Jr.,  fitted  for  college  at  Brad 
ford  Academy,  and  in  1847  entered  the  junior  class  of 
the  Vermont  University,  where  he  graduated  in  1849. 

On  leaving  the  University  he  went  immediately  to 
Dunham,  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  and  taught  the 
Academy  there  for  a  little  over  a  year.  While  in  Dun 
ham,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Johnson,  eldest 
daughter  of  Ezekiel  Johnson,  of  Bradford,  Vt.  From 
Dunham  the}7  were  called  to  Franklin,  in  this  State,  where 
they  taught  the  Academy  for  more  than  three  years,  hav 
ing  a  very  prosperous  school.  In  1854  they  were  called 
to  take  charge  of  Bradford  Academy,  which  they  taught 
for  somewhat  over  two  years. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Farnham  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of 
law,  at  the  bar  of  Orange  County. 


379 

In  1859,  he  was  elected  State  Attorney  for  Orange 
County,  and  held  that  office  for  three  years. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in  1861, 
Mr.  Farnhara  was  a  Corporal  in  the  company  of  Bradford 
Guards,  but  when  the  company  was  re-organized,  to  go 
into  the  field,  he  was  elected  and  commissioned  second 
Lieutenant,  and  served  as  such,  during  a  term  of  three 
months,  at  Fortress  Monroe  and  Newport  News,  Virginia, 
in  the  First  Vermont  Regiment,  of  which  the  Bradford 
Guards  formed  a  part.  He  was  present  at  the  battle  of 
Big  Bethel,  and  acted  as  Provost  Marshal  of  all  the  forces 
at  Newport  News,  all  the  time  he  was  there. 

On  his  return  to  Vermont,  in  August,  1861,  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  law;  but  in  1862  ho  resigned  his  position 
as  State  Attorney,  was  elected  Captain  of  the  Bradford 
Guards,  and  recruited  that  company  to  the  full  number 
required  by  Government.  Upon  the  organization  of  the 
Twelfth  Regiment,  the  Guards  enlisted  into  that  Regi 
ment,  and  were  styled  Company  H,  of  Regiment  Twelfth. 
Captain  Farnham  was  then  appointed  by  Governor  Hoi- 
brook,  of  Vermont,  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  and,  there  being- 
some  question  raised  whether  the  Governor  had  the  right 
to  appoint  the  field  officers  of  a  Militia  Regiment,  an  elec 
tion  was  held,  and  Captain  Farnham  was  duly  elected  to 
the  same  position,  and  in  that  capacity  acted  during  the 
service  of  this  Regiment.  Mrs.  Farnham,  influenced 
alike  by  patriotism  and  concern  for  her  husband's  com 
fort,  spent  several  months  with  him  amid  the  exciting 
scenes  of  active  warfare.  At  the  close  of  this,  his  second 
term  of  service,  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  law  in 
Bradford,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  He  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1868  and  1869. 

Colonel  Farnham  and  wife  have  for  years  been  active 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  this  place,  arid 
persevering  advocates  and  promoters  of  the  best  inter 
ests  of  society  generally.  In  1868  the  Colonel  built  for 


380 

his  family  residence  one  of  the  best  houses  in  this  village. 
These  parents  have  at  this  date  three  children,  namely : 
Charles  Cyrus,  born  May  9,  1864;  Florence  Mary,  born 
October  30,  1866  ;  and  William  Mills,  born  July  5,  1869. 

PRESTON. 

Adams  Preston,  Esq-.,  was  a  native  of  Romney,  N.  H., 
born  June  16, 1801.  His  father,  William  Preston,  became 
a  resident  of  that  town  when  but  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  rendered  faithful  service  to  his  country  during  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  with  Montgomery  in 
Canada,  and  was  there,  with  others,  taken  captive ;  but 
was  exchanged,  and  again  joined  the  army.  He  subse 
quently  fell  into  the  hands  of  hostile  Indians ;  but  had 
the  good  fortune  to  escape,  and  lived  to  see  the  war  suc 
cessfully  closed,  and  the  independence  of  his  country 
firmly  established.  His  office  in  the  army  was  that  of  a 
Sergeant. 

Mr.  Adams  Preston  married,  February  15,  1827,  Miss 
Jane  Parkinson,  of  Canterbury,  N.  H.,  and  came  to  this 
town  to  reside  in  the  year  1830.  He  first  served  as  a 
clerk  in  the  store  of  Mr.  Asa  Low  for  about  ten  years. 
He  then  traded  in  partnership  with  Mr.  John  B.  Peckett 
&*  Son  for  ten  years  longer,  after  which  he  prosecuted 
mercantile  business  here  by  himself  till  1860,  when  he 
retired,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  frugal 
use  of  the  competency  which  he  had  honestly  acquired. 

That  Mr.  Preston  enjoyed  in  a  good  degree  the  confi 
dence  and  respect  of  his  townsmen,  as  a  man  of  intelli 
gence,  good  judgment,  and  honesty,  is  evident  from  the 
facts  that  for  seven  years  he  was  annually  chosen  and 
acted  as  Town  Clerk ;  and  for  fifteen  years  was  called  to 
officiate  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Surrounded  by  kind 
friends,  he  still  remains  at  this  writing  a  citizen  of  Brad 
ford.  . 

Mrs.  Preston,  having  lived  with  her  husband  in  love, 


381 

quietude  and  comfort  for  over  forty-seven  years,  and  hav 
ing  by  her  neighborly  kindness  secured  the  good  will  of 
all  around  her,  was,  on  Sabbath  morning,  March  1,  1874, 
stricken  down  by  apoplexy,  and  remained  in  a  state  of 
speechless  insensibility  till  she  expired  on  the  subsequent 
Tuesday  afternoon,  in  the  seventy- seventh  year  of  her 
age.  She  had  never  made  a  public  profession  of  religion, . 
but  is  understood  to  have  been  a  very  diligent  reader  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  evangelical  in  her  faith,  and  for  years 
preceding  her  death  trusting  that  she  had  secured  the 
pearl  of  great  price. 

WILLIAM    B.   STEVENS   AND   FAMILY. 

Mr.  W.  B.  Stevens  was  a  native  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  where 
his  father,  Caleb  Stevens,  resided  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  and  died  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years,  leaving  his  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Matthews,  with  three  sons.  George,  born  in  1820,  has 
for  many  years  resided  in  this  village,  in  various  ways 
usefully  employed,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  William  B.,  born  in  1822,  after  arriving  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  spent  his  minority  as  a  clerk  in  mercantile 
business  in  Newbury.  In  the  year  1851,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Charles,  he  opened  a  store  in  Bradford, 
and  after  the  lapse  of  some  twenty-three  years  is  still 
here,  engaged  in  commercial  transactions,  favored  with  a 
due  share  of  patronage  and  success.  In  1856  he  married 
Miss  Harriet  E.  Ladd,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Austin  Ladd,  of 
Haverhill,  N.  H.,  born  there  in  1833.  They  have  at  this 
writing  three  daughters  living ;  namely,  Carrie  B.,  born 
in  1858;  Annie  E.,  born  1860;  and  Mary  L.,  born  in  1863. 
Helen  Luella  died  in  1872,  aged  four  months.  The  first 
two  of  the  above  named,  with  several  other  young  per 
sons,  on  profession  of  their  faith  and  hope,  were,  on  the 
first  Sabbath  of  July,  1874,  received  as  members  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  this  place,  of  which  Mrs.  S.  had 


382 

for  years  been  a  beloved  member.  Mr.  Stevens,  in  the 
year  1857  built,  and  has  since  occupied,  the  nice  house 
next  north  of  the  Congregational  meeting  house  in  this 
village. 

Mr.  Charles  Stevens,  in  1856,  married  Miss  Harriet 
Brown,  of  Boston.  He  subsequently  built  a  good  house 
on  Pleasant  street,  in  which  his  wife,  son,  and  daughter 
subsequently  died.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss 
Martha  Brown,  from  Canada  East ;  had  two  daughters, 
and  died  in  the  same  house  in  November,  1872.  His 
widow  disposed  of  her  homestead  in  Bradford,  and  re 
moved  in  the  Autumn  of  1873,  with  her  children  and 
wrorthy  parents,  Deacon  Alba  Brown  and  wife,  to  a  desir 
able  river  farm  which  she  had  purchased  in  Piermo"ht, 
N.  H. 

About  two  years  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Charles  Stev 
ens,  Mr.  Victor  W.  Bag-ley  ways  taken  into  partnership  in 
this  firm,  and,  with  the  surviving  brother,  so  continues 
actively  engaged.  He  purchased,  and  at  this  date,  with 
his  family,  occupies  the  pleasant  homestead  formerly 
owned  by  the  deceased. 

CALVIN  P.  CLARK. 

Was  a  native  of  Newbury,  Vt.,  born  March  5,  1826. 
His  parents,  Jonathan  and  Martha  F.  Clark,  came  from 
Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  to  Newbury,  about  the  year  1816,  and, 
after  a  residence  of  more  than  fifty  years,  died  there,  the 
father  in  1867,  aged  eighty  years,  and  the  mother  in  1871, 
at  the  same  age.  Their  family  consisted  of  eight  chil 
dren,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living.  Calvin  spent  his 
minority  mostly  in  Newbury,  working  on  the  farm  sum 
mers,  and,  after  he  was  fifteen,  teaching  district  schools 
winters.  In  1847  he  went  to  Boston,  and,  after  working 
three  years  in  the  brewery  of  Dea.  John  Simonds,  in  the 
year  1850  went  into  business  for  himself.  In  January, 
1851,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Martin,  daughter  of  Peter 


383 

and  Catharine  Martin,  of  Newbury.  In  1857,  by  reason 
of  his  wife's  failing  health,  and  with  hope  that  a  change 
of  location  and  atmosphere  might  prove  beneficial  to  her, 
he  sold  out  his  business  in  Boston,  and  for  a  year  or  two 
resided  in  Newbury,  their  native  place.  The  result  was 
favorable,  and  in  1859  he  moved  to  Bradford,  and  in  Au 
gust  of  that  year  purchased  the  store  and  goods  owned 
by  S.  T.  George,  in  this  village,  and  formed  a  partnership 
in  trade  with  Mr.  John  Bascom,  under  the  name  of  Bas- 
com  &  Clark.  Mr.  Bascom  has  since  deceased.  In  Oc 
tober,  1862,  Mr.  Clark  was  called  to  part  with  his  wife,  a 
pious  and  very  estimable  lady,  who  died  of  consumption, 
after  long  feebleness  and  suffering.  December  25,  18G3, 
Mr.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  A. 
Winship,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Joseph  Winship,  formerly  of 
Bradford.  In  March,  1868,  he  purchased  Mr.  Bascom's 
interest  in  the  store,  and  thence  to  this  date  has  contin 
ued  business  there,  under  his  own  name.  In  1871  he 
built  a  nice  house,  on  elevated  ground,  on  the  west  side 
of  Main  street,  near  the  north  end  of  the  village,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  But  his  pleasant  home  was  again 
made  desolate  by  the  presence  of  death ;  his  second  wife 
dying  January  8,  1873,  of  consumption,  as  did  the  first. 
She  left  an  only  child,  Mason  Bowditch,  four  years  of  age. 
Since  then,  Mr.  Clark  has  done  business  still  at  the  old 
stand,  to  the  extent  his  health  would  allow,  enjoying  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

The  following  notice  of  Mrs.  Clark,  which  appeared  in 
our  village  paper,  soon  after  her  decease,  is  thought  wor 
thy  of  insertion  here : 

Died;  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  January  8,  1873,  Mrs.  Julia  A., 
wife  of  Mr.  Calvin  P.  Clark,  lacking  but  ten  days  of  being 
forty-two  years  of  age.  Her  maiden  name  was  Julia  A. 
Winship.  She  was  the  only  daughter  of  Joseph  Winship 
and  wife,  persons  of  excellent  Christian  character,  who 
for  many  years  lived  and  finally  died  in  this  place.  This 


384 

daughter  remembered  her  Creator  in  the  days  of  heo* 
youth ;  and,  being  blessed  with  health  and  strength,  and 
a  kind  heart,  at  the  same  time  wishing  to  earn  for  herself 
,a  competent  support,  while  doing  as  much  good  as  possi 
ble  to  others,  she  accepted  heartily  of  the  position  of  a 
nurse  in  the  female  department  of  the  Massachusetts 
General  Hospital,  in  Boston,  where,  greatly  to  the  satis 
faction  of  all, concerned,  she  continued  ministering  to  the 
sick  and  suffering  for  some  ten  or  a  dozen  years.  The 
managers  gave  substantial  evidence  of  their  high  appre 
ciation  of  her  worth,  not  only  by  their  kindness  to  her 
while  with  them,  but  by  a  permanent  liberality,  alike 
honorable  to  themselves  and  to  her. 

As  a  wife  and  mother,  and  manager  of  her  domestic 
affairs,  Mrs.  Clark  was  the  light  and  joy  of  her  household. 
Of  fine  personal  appearance  and  pleasing  address,  pru 
dence,  .and  kindness  towards  all,  she  had  no  lack  of  admir 
ing  and  steadfast  friends. 

But  the  crowning  excellency  of  her  character  was  her 
decided  piety.  When  young,  she  devoted  herself  to  her 
Saviour,  and  confessed  Him  publicly,  by  uniting  with  an 
evangelical  church  in  Boston,  but  for  nine  or  ten  of  the 
last  years  of  her  life  had  been  a  beloved  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Bradford. 

For  several  months  immediately  preceding  her  decease, 
her  health  had  been  in  a  precarious  condition.  Still  she 
hoped  to  live,  and  assist  her  husband  in  training  up  their 
little  son  in  the  way  he  should  go.  The  thought  of  being 
taken  away  in  the  midst  of  her  days  and  usefulness  was 
unwelcome  to  her. 

But  when  convinced  that  the  time  by  infinite  wisdom 
and  goodness  appointed  for  her  departure  was  evidently 
near,  the  blessed  Saviour  gave  her  light,  faith,  grace  and 
strength,  equal  to  the  exigency,  and  enabled  her  to  de 
part  rejoicing  in  the  God  of  her  salvation.  Dearly  as  she 
loved  those  whom  she  was  leaving,  she  felt  that  to  her 


385 

death  would  prove  unspeakable  and  eternal  gain.  With 
perfect  composure  she  expressed  her  wishes  in  regard  to 
her  funeral  services,  which  were  accordingly  performed, 
in  the  presence  of  a  large  circle  of  loving  friends,  when 
her  precious  remains  were  laid  down  to  rest  till  called 
forth  by  the  voice  of  Him  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the 
life,  to  a  glorious  immortality.  Surely,  blessed  are  the 
dead  who  thus  die  in  the  Lord.  S.  M '  K. 

I  add  in  this  connection  a  brief  notice  of  Mrs.  Winship, 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  Clark,  for  such  a  woman  as  she  was 
ought  to  be  held  in  affectionate  re'membrance. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Winship,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Keyes,  was  born  at  Mason,  N.  H.,  September  30,  1784, 
but  spent  her  youthful  days  in  Milton,  Mass.  She  there 
enjoyed  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Joseph  McKeen,  D.  D.,  sub 
sequently  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory  at  Harvard. 
For  that  eloquent  and  good  man  she  retained  an  affection 
ate  remembrance  and  high  respect  to  the  day  of  her 
death.  Impressions  deeply  fixed  in  the  youthful  mind 
are  apt  to  be  enduring.  At  the  early  age  of  about  thir 
teen  years  she  was  divinely  led  to  receive  Christ  Jesus 
as  the  Lord  her  righteousness,  and  to  consecrate  herself 
most  heartily  to  His  service.  That  the  change  was  genu 
ine  her  subsequent  life  abundantly  proved.  The  princi 
ple  of  faith  and  love  then  implanted  in  her  young  heart 
was  indeed  a  fountain  of  living  water  springing  up  into 
life  everlasting. 

At  the  age  of  about  twenty  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Joseph  Winship,  then  a  young  farmer,  with  whom  she 
came  to  Bradford,  Yt.,  and  settled  down  on  a  wilderness 
place,  in  the  deep  valley  of  Waits  River,  through  which, 
for  a  long  time  after,  no  road  passed,  though  now  inter 
sected  by  a  great  thoroughfare.  In  that  solitude  they 
cheerfully  lived  and  walked  with  God,  until  many  years 
after  he  finished  his  course  with  joy,  and  triumphantly 
passed  away,  leaving  one  son,  Mr.  Warren  Winship,  now 


386 

of  Barnet,  and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  C.  P.  Clark,  of  Brad 
ford,  both  partakers  of  the  same  precious  faith.  At  the 
house  of  Mr.  Clark,  enjoying  the  tender  care  of  himself 
and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Winship,  full  of  sweet  content 
ment,  with  every  want  bountifully  supplied,  passed  the 
evening  of  her  mortal  life.  That  religion  which  amid 
the  various  changes  and  trials  of  life  had  sustained  and 
comforted  her  and  made  her  a  blessing  to  all  who  came 
within  her  influence,  in  nature's  last  extremity,  amid  the 
infirmities  of  age  and  great  bodily  sufferings  which  pre 
ceded  her  final  prostration,  appeared  in  its  strength  and 
glory. 

Her  victory  over  death  and  the  grave  was  complete, 
and  most  admirable.  Surely  such  a  religion  is  of  price 
less  value.  God  grant  that  we  may  all  possess  it.  On  the 
4th  of  January,  1867,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her 
age,  this  excellent  woman  passed  thus  sweetly  away 
from  the  sorrows  and  joys  of  life,  to  her  everlasting  rest. 

BARRON  HAY  was  born  in  Bradford,  Vt..  September  26, 
1828,  and  lived  here  till  ten  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  Orford,  N.  H.,  and  lived  with  Levi  D.  Corliss,  Esq., 
working  on  the  farm  summers  and  attending  district  school 
three  months  each  winter,  for  seven  years,  when  he  return 
ed  to  Bradford,,  where  he  has  since  remained,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  autumn  of  1850  and  the  next  winter,  which 
he  spent  in  Boston  as  porter  in  a  hotel.  In  November,  1851, 
he  entered  the  store  of  George  and  Edward  Prichard  as 
clerk,  and  at  this  writing  has  been  in  the  same  store  ever 
since,  a  period  of  twenty -three  consecutive  years,  the 
last  five,  however,  as  partner  with  John  B.  W.  Prichard, 
under  the  style  of  Prichard  &  Hay. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  1854,  Mr.  Hay  married  Miss 
Janette  C.  Smith,  youngest  daughter  of  Levi  and  Almira 
A.  Smith,  of  Middlebury,  Vt.,  where  she  was  born  Sep 
tember  6,  1830.  They  have  two  sons,  Fred  E.,  born 
August  14,  1855,  and  John  Barren,  born  May  4,  1861. 


387 

Mrs.  Hay,  and  her  husband's  mother,  who  lives  with 
them,  are  highly  esteemed  members  of  the  Congregation 
al  church  in  this  place.  Mr.  Barron  Hay,  in  addition  to 
the  honor  of  being  considered  a  capable  and  upright  man 
in  his  mercantile  transactions,  has  been  called  once  and 
again  to  represent  his  native  town  State  in  the  Legisla 
ture  namely,  in  the  sessions  of  1866  and  67. 

ADELBERT  OSBORN,  merchant,  son  of  Cyrus  Osborn,  of 
Pierrnont,  N.  H.,  was  born  there  January  15,  1835.  He 
married  Miss  Lizzie  R.  Towle,  also  a  native  of  Piermont, 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  F.  M.  Towle,  born  Oct.  26,  1838,  a  lady 
highly  esteemed  for  her  intelligence  and  good  influence. 
They  have  one  son,  Walter  T.,  born  September  18,  1864. 
Mr.  Osborn  commenced  mercantile  business  here  in  No 
vember,  1856,  and  since  May  1,  1871,  has  held  the  office 
here  of  Agent  of  the  U.  S.  and  Canada  Express  Compa 
ny,  and  performed  its  duties  to  public  satisfaction.  In 
1871  he  built  a  commodious  and  nice  house  in  the  north 
ern  part  of  the  village,  in  which  he  and  his  family  have  a 
pleasant  home. 

JACOB  DAVIS  AND  FAMILY. 

Jacob  Davis  was  a  native  of  Amesbury,  Mass.,  a  man 
of  decidedly  good  moral  and  religious  character,  by  occu 
pation  a  farmer.  In  the'  year  1818  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  this  town,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  which  he  had 
purchased,  on  the  South  road,  about  two  miles  west  of 
the  village,  where  he  passed  in  comfort  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  He  died  in  April,  1842,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years. 

That  he  was  a  man  of  decision,  may  be  illustrated  by 
the  following  little  incident :  It  had  been  common  for 
farmers  to  furnish  rum  to  their  laborers,  in  the  time  of 
haying  and  harvest,  and  to  unite  with  them  in  the  moder 
ate  use  of  it.  But  on  one  occasion  Mr.  Davis'  hired  men, 


388 

under  the  influence  of  intoxicating  liquor,  became  some 
what  noisy  and  disorderly.  This  led  him  to  reflect  more 
seriously  than  ever  before  on  the  evil  consequences  of 
the  common  use  of  such  liquor,  and  he  determined  then 
and  there  never  to  furnish  another  drop  to  his  men,  but 
thenceforth  to  act  on  the  principle  of  total  abstinence, 
however  singular  or  inexpedient  his  course  to  his  neigh 
bors  might  appear,  and  ever  after  firmly  adhered  to  his 
resolution.  To  do  so  then  was  by  no  means  so  easy  and 
popular  as  to  pursue  a  similar  course  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Davis  and  his  then  second  wife  were  both  substan 
tial  members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Davis,  Polly  Sargeant,  was,  like 
himself,  a  native  of  Amesbury,  Mass.,  where  she  died  in 
1817,  at  the  age  of  about  thirty- six  years.  She  left  at 
her  decease  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  who  came  with 
their  father  and  his  second  wife  to  Bradford,  in  1818, 
namely : 

1.  Hezekiah.     He  lived  with  his  father  until  about 
thirty  years  of  age.     He  was  a  well  esteemed  teacher  of 
common  schools ;  taught  for  nine  winters  in  two  districts. 
He  married  Jerusha  Davis,  of  West  Fairlee,  Vt.,  and  re 
moved  to  Northfield,  in  this  State,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
so  distant  from  any  school  house  that  he   educated  his 
children  at  kome,  in  quite  a  methodical  manner,  having 
regular  hours  for  study,  as  well  as  for  other  exercises. 
In  1863  he  removed  to  Vineland,  N.  J.,  where  he  died  the 
next  year,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine.     His  death  is  said  to 
be  the  first  which  occurred  in  that  remarkable  settlement. 
After  his  decease,  his  family  came  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  and 
at  this  date  are  there  pleasantly  located.     He  had  nine 
children.     His  second  wife  was  Eliza  Leonard,  of  North- 
field. 

2.  Grilman  Davis  was  also  a  farmer,  and  accustomed  in 
winter  to  school  teaching.     He  married  Mary  Ann  Dodge, 
of  Fairlee,  and  in  1842  removed  to  Northfield,  where  he 


389 

died  in  1873,  leaving  his  second  wife  in  widowhood,  with 
one  child,  a  daughter. 

3.  Martha  Davis  died  in  1834,  in  her  youth. 

4.  Mary  Davis   married  Enos  Taylor,  of  this  town, 
where  she  died,  leaving  one  son,  George  H.,  who  became 
a  patriotic  young  man;  served  with  honor  in  the  late 
war,  returned  home  in  safet}7",  but  immediately  after  was 
taken  sick  and  died.     His  father,  thus  bereaved,  has  re 
mained  solitary. 

Mr.  Jacob  Davis,  after  the  decease  of  his  first  wife,  in 
1817,  married,  the  same  year,  Sally  Kelley,  a  native  of 
Amesbury,  and  sister  of  Rev.  John  Kelley,  who  was  for 
more  than  forty  years  the  faithful  pastor  of  the  Congre 
gational  church  in  Hampstead,  N.  H.  She  came  with  him 
and  his  children  to  this  town  in  1818.  She  was  a  truly 
good  woman,  lived  to  have  four  children  of  her  own,  and 
died  in  October,  1860,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  having 
remained  in  widowhood  for  about  eighteen  years  and  six 
months. 

Two  of  the  children  by  this  marriage  died  in  early 
childhood. 

Elizabeth,  the  eldest,  died  in  1835,  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years. 

Jacob  K.  Davis,  at  this  date  the  only  surviving  member 
of  his  father's  family,  owns  and  occupies  the  farm  on 
which  he  was  born  and  brought  up.  Though  by  occupa 
tion  a  farmer,  he  has  for  some  years  been  engaged  in  dif 
ferent  agencies,  especially  in  behalf  of  book  publishers, 
which  have  taken  him  much  of  the  time  from  home.  In 
December,  1850,  he  married  Clara  L.  Morrison,  of  this 
town,  and  they  have  at  this  date  five  children  still  with 
them;  namely,  Millard  F.,  George  M.,  Clara  A.,  Arthur  L. 
and  Henry  E. 

Mr.  J.  K.  Davis  and  wife,  and  second  son,  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church  in  Bradford.  Indeed  all 
the  children  of  Mr.  Jacob  Davis  who  lived  to  become  men 


390 

and  women,  are  believed  to  have  become  also  joint  par 
takers  with  their  pious  parents  in  the  same  precious  faith 
and  promises. 

ISRAEL   CUMMINGS. 

Deacon  Israel  Cummings  was  a  native  *of  Woodstock, 
Vt,,  born  March  14,  1791.  His  father  removed  with  his 
family  into  the  south-east  part  ot  Thetford,  in  the 
year  1798,  and  made  a  permanent  settlement  there 
as  a  farmer.  His  son  remained  with  him,  and  at  the 
age  of  about  twenty-three  married  Miss  Ruth  Kinney, 
a  daughter  of  Deacon  Kinney,  of  Thetford.  In  the 
course  of  the  last  war  with  England  he  offered  himself 
to  his  country's  service,  and  for  months  stood  with  a  com 
pany  of  others  as  a  volunteer  minute  man ;  but  was  not 
called  into  the  army.  When  about  thirty  years  of  age  he 
became  deeply  impressed  by  religious  considerations,  ob 
tained  hope  of  an  interest  in  the  great  salvation,  and  made 
a  public  profession  of  his  faith  by  uniting  with  the  Bap 
tist  church  at  Post  Mills,  in  Thetftrrd,  and  was  for  years  a 
deacon  in  the  same. 

In  1848  he  sold  his  farm  in  Thetford,  and  bought  a 
good  farm  on  the  Upper  Plain  in  Bradford,  long  known 
as  the  May  place,  and  there  continues,  in  1874,  to  reside, 
with  his  eldest  son,  who  is  devoted  to  agricultural  pur 
suits.  Mrs.  Cummings  died  June  26,  1861,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years. 

These  parents  were  blessed  with  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  who  lived  to  marry  and  have  families.  The  eld 
est  son,  David  Kinney  Cummings,  married  Maria  Jewell 
(rightly  named),  of  Norwich,  Vt.  They  had  a  daughter, 
Ellen  Maria,  who  married  Mr.  James  Sawyer,  of  this  vil 
lage,  and  died  in  the  Autumn  of  1873.  Also  a  son,  Wil 
liam  Frederick  Cummings,  who  was  married  by  Rev.  S. 
McKeen,  April  2,  1874,  with  Miss  Ada  Lillie  Barrett, 
daughter  of  Mr.  S.  C.  Barrett,  of  Bradford. 


391 

Lovel  Cummings,  second  son  of  the  deacon  and  wife, 
married  Sarah  Arnold,  of  Boston,  kept  the  Vermont  House 
here  for  some  time,  and  at  this  date  is  engaged  in  mer 
cantile  business  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Harriet  Cummings,  the  only  sister  of  the  above  named, 
married  Mr.  George  Wright,  of  Bradford,  and  with  her 
husband  occupies  the  pleasant  homestead  next  north  of 
her  father's. 

Mr.  I).  K.  Cummings  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  in  this  village.  The  venerable  deacon, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  retains  his  intellectual  and 
physical  powers  very  well,  and  still  feels  deeply  interested 
in  the  prosperity  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 


392 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Physicians — Aubrey,  Andross,  Stebbins,  Whitney,  Whipple,  Put 
nam,  Colby,  Poole,  Martin,  Carter,  Gushing,  Carpenter,  Doty, 
Warden,  and  Others. 

PRACTICING  PHYSICIANS  IN  BRADFORD. 

It  is  proposed  to  give  in  this  chapter  some  account  of 
the  several  physicians  who  have  been  established  in  their 
professional  business  here,  with  such  notices  of  their  fam 
ilies  as  may  be  considered  of  general  interest.  The  ar 
rangement  will  be  with  reference  to  the  various  dates  of 
their  commencing  medical  practice  among  this  people. 
Pursuing  this  order,  we  notice,  first, 

DOCTOR  AUBRY. 

Dr.  Frederick  Aubry,  one  of  the  early  physicians  in 
this  town,  a  German  by  birth  and  education,  claimed  to 
have  been  a  surgeon  in  the  British  army  during  the  "  Old 
French  war,"  and  to  have  dressed  the  wounds  of  the  brave 
General  Wolfe,  who  in  1759  fell  at  the  siege  of  Quebec. 
He  was  an  expert  fencer,  and  took  pride  in  displaying  his 
skill  in  the  use  of  the  sword.  It  is  said  he  could  with  his 
sword  strike  out  a  pin  from  a  man's  shirt  collar  without 
injury  to  his  throat.  His  temper  was  hasty  and  violent, 
but  in  its  paroxysms  not  lasting.  At  one  time,  when  he 
was  having  an  arch  laid,  his  wife  came  out  to  give  her 
advice,  which  led  to  a  violent  altercation  between  them. 
In  his  anger  he  caught  up  a  brick  and  threw  it  at  her, 
exclaiming  as  it  went  from  his  hand,  "  Dodge,  Sally,  my 
dear  ! "  Being  slack  in  regard  to  paying  his  debts,  one 
of  the  traders  at  the  village  went  to  him  with  his  store 
account  for  collection,  when  the  Doctor  bitterly  said, 
"  You  traders,  when  we  go  to  your  stores,  are  all  aingels, 
but  when  ye  want  your  pay  ye  are  very  deevils."  Of  his 


393 

professional  skill  there  was  quite  a  diversity  of  opinions, 
some  thinking  him  a  wonderful  doctor,  and  others  unwilling 
to  employ  him.  He  was  severe  in  his  condemnation  of 
our  native  doctors,  as  men  without  knowledge  or  skill  in 
their  profession,  which,  of  course,  set  them  against  him. 
He  was  sometimes  unreasonably  exacting  in  his  charges, 
as  well  as  needlessly  persevering  in  his  visits ;  but  now 
and  then  in  his  dealing  with  his  Yankee  employers  found 
that  he  had  "  caught  a  Tartar.7'  Some  instances,  quite 
amusing,  are  still  remembered.  The  doctor  having  been 
once  called  in  to  see  a  sick  man  in  the  south  part  of  the 
town,  came  of  his  own  accord  many  times  more.  The 
patient  having  after  a  considerable  time  recovered,  the 
doctor  presented  his  bill  for  "visits,  medicines  and  smi- 
dries"  running  up  to  an  amount  far  beyond  the  man's  ex 
pectation.  He,  however,  taking  it  coolly,  sat  down  and 
made  out  an  account  of  various  things  which  he  had  let 
the  doctor  have  ;  but  finding  himself  far  in  the  rear,  he 
made  up  the  deficiency  with  "  sundries,"  and  thus  brought 
out  an  amount  equivalent  to  the  charge  against  him.  The 
doctor,  on  looking  at  this  account,  instead  of  flying  into  a 
passion,  as  might  have  been  expected,  said,  "  Let's  pass 
receipts !  let's  pass  receipts ! "  and  so  the  matter  was 
easily  adjusted. 

On  another  occasion  the  doctor  was  called  to  attend  to 
the  case  of  a  boy  in  a  very  suffering  condition ;  a  fly 
some  time  before  having  got  into  one  of  his  ears  and  de 
posited  there  its  eggs,  a  hateful  progeny,  giving  the  suf 
ferer  great  distress,  had  been  the  result.  The  doctor, 
having  ascertained  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  by  a  simple 
remedy,  directly  applied,  effected  a  cure.  The  boy  was 
soon  well  again,  to  the  great  joy  of  himself  and  family. 
The  father,  on  inquiring  what  would  be  the  doctor's  charge 
for  this  service,  was  told  to  his  great  astonishment  that  it 
would  be  one  hundred  dollars !  which  the  old  physician 
attempted  to  justify  on  the  ground  that  the  bo v's  life  was 
26 


394 

worth  more  than  a  hundred  dollars,  and  that  he  would 
have  died  if  he  had  not  thus  by  his  medical  skill  saved 
him.  Remonstrance  was  of  no  avail.  The  father  of  the 
boy  subsequently  brought  in  his  account,  proposing  to  the 
doctor  to  look  over  and  come  to  a  settlement.  This  ac 
count  Avas  a  very  short  one,  for  two  bushels  of  wheat  at 
fifty  dollars  a  bushel,  amounting  to  one  hundred  dollars. 
The  doctor  on  looking  at  it  gravely,  said,  "  I  will  dispute 
no  man's  account.  We  will  pass  receipts." 

Dr.  Aubry  first  settled  in  the  part  of  the  town  called 
Goshen,  but  subsequently  on  a  farm  West  of  Wright's 
Mountain.  He  afterwards,  about  the  year  1813,  removed 
with  his  children  to  Pennsylvania,  and  died  there  at  an 
advanced  age. 

The  above  is  from  the  recollection  of  several  gentle 
men  who  personally  knew  him. 

DOCTOR   ANDROSS. 

Of  him  and  his  family  see  some  account  under  the  title, 
The  Andross  Family. 

DOCTOR  STEBBINS. 

Dr.  Arad  Stebbins  was  born  at  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  March 
21,  1760.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Dickermond,  of 
Brattleboro,  Yt.,  and  surgery  with  Dr.  Goodhue,  of  Put 
ney.  Nathan  Smith,  subsequently  Professor  of  the  The 
ory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  at  Dartmouth  College,  was 
his  fellow  student.  We  have  not  the  date  of  his  com 
mencing  business  in  Bradford,  but  it  was  some  time  be 
fore  1790,  as  a  town  meeting  was  held  that  year  at  his 
house,  and  it  is  known  that  for  some  time  after  his  coming 
here  he  boarded  in  the  family  of  Dr.  Andross,  whose  wife 
was  his  aunt.  Dr.  Stebbins  was  a  sensible,  affable,  wide 
awake,  energetic  man,  and  had  an  extensive  medical 
practice  here,  for  about  thirty  years.  He  married  Mary 


395 

S.  Kent,  of  Newbury,  and  had  a  family  of  one  son  and 
eight  daughters.  The  doctor  built  a  large,  and  for  those 
days  fine,  house  near  the  north  end  of  this  village,  to  be 
occupied,  not  only  as  a  family  residence,  but  for  the  ac 
commodation  of  travelers  and  boarders,  which  after  his 
decease  was  known  as  the  Vermont  House,  and  by  suc 
cessive  proprietors  kept  as  a  hotel,  till  June  18,  1871, 
when,  in  the  ownership  of  R.  W.  Chamberlin,  it  accident 
ally  took  fire  and  was  consumed.  A  fine  residence  on 
the  same  spot  is  at  this  writing  in  progress  of  erection, 
under  the  care  and  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Harvey  Nourse, 
of  this  place.  Dr.  Stebbins  represented  this  town  in  the 
State  Legislature  of  1805.  In  the  course  of  the  first 
year  of  the  writer's  ministry  here  the  doctor  and  his  wife, 
on  profession,  became  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  so  continued  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  One  dark  evening,  while  the  doctor-  was  walking 
homeward  and  alone,  from  the  house  of  his  father,  where 
he  had  been  attending  a  Library  Society  meeting,  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  step  off  the  side  of  a  bridge  across  a 
ravine,  since  filled  with  earth,  near  the  residence  of  J. 
A.  Hardy,  by  which  fall  he  received  a  concussion  of  the 
brain  which  put  an  end  to  his  medical  practice,  and  from 
which  he  never  entirely  recovered.  He  lived,  however, 
in  a  state  of  quiet  feebleness,  both  of  body  and  mind,  for 
some  ten  or  eleven  years  longer,  and  died  April  30,  1828, 
in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Stebbins  died 
October  29,  1835,  in  her  sixty-ninth  year. 

CHILDREN    OF   DR.    STEBBINS   AND   WIFE. 

Their  first  daughter,  Polly,  died  young,  but  all  the 
others  lived  to  years  of  maturity.  Mary  married  Alfred 
Corliss,  for  many  years  a  harness  maker,  arid  also  Postmas 
ter  in  this  village,  and  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Lucy  married  Theodore  Dame,  of  Orford,  N.  Hv  and  had 


\ 

396 

a  son  and  two  daughters.  Betsey  married  Nicholas  W. 
Aver,  of  this  town,  and  in  her  widowhood,  when  drawing 
nigli  to  death,  made  several  valuable  bequests  to  various 
individuals  and  religious  societies,  one  of  five  hundred 
dollars  to  the  Congregational  church  here,  the  annual  in 
terest  to  be  applied  towards  the  support  of  public  wor 
ship.  Sophia  remained  and  died  single.  The  four  sis 
ters  last  named,  and  also  their  youngest  sister,  Harriet, 
were  all  members  of  the  same  church  here  to  which  their 
parents  had  belonged.  Louisa  married  a  Mr.  Moulton, 
and  Harriet,  Mr.  Ward,  of  Plymouth,  N.  H.  All  these 
have  deceased,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Dame,  who,  in 
widowhood,  is  living  (1874)  with  her  son  in  Newbury, 
Vt. 

Arad  Stebbins,  Jr.,  the  doctor's  only  son,  married  Eliza 
Stoddard,  of  Fairlee,  remained  in  this  village,  and  had  a 
family  of  several  children.  He  was  esteemed  an  intelli 
gent,  capable,  and  honest  man,  and  as  such  was  much  em 
ployed  in  public  business.  He  had  been  Overseer  of  the 
Poor  and  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  in  Bradford,  for  several 
years ;  had  represented  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature 
for  five  years ;  had  filled  the  office  of  Judge  of  Probate 
for  this  district  for  one  term  ;  and  had  been  much  em 
ployed  in  the  settlement  of  estates,  and  as  guardian  of 
orphan  children,  in  which  capacities  he  seems  to  have 
given  general  satisfaction.  He  had  a  competency,  loved 
his  family,  was  free  from  pecuniary  or  other  embarrass 
ments  from  without ;  but  his  health  at  length  began  to 
fail,  his  mental  powers  also,  a  melancholy  gloom  came 
ever  him,  and  he  seems  to  have  been  overwhelmed  with 
the  fear  that  he  might  become  permanently  insane  !  and 
in  this  state  of  mind  he,  on  a  certain  sad  day,  retired  to 
his  barn  and  terminated  his  life  by  deliberately  hanging 
himself.  This  mournful  event  occurred  January,  1862, 
he  tjien  being  a  little  over  fifty-nine  years  of  age,  and 
cast  a  deep  gloom  over  this  entire  community.  His  pas- 


397 

tor's  text  at  his  funeral  was,  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he 
stand eth  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  The  widow  and  her 
children  subsequently  removed  to  Summerville,  Mass. 

DOCTOR   WHITING. 

Dr.  Jeremiah  Whiting  practiced  medicine  for  a  tew 
years  in  Bradford.  He  resided  in  the  part  of  the  town 
called  Goshen.  He  came  here  from  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
or  its  vicinity,  about  the  year  1798.  He  had  a  good  pre 
paratory  education,  and  was  well  read  in  his  professional 
studies.  He  was  considered  a  man  of  good  judgment, 
and  a  successful  practitioner.  He  distinguished  himself 
somewhat  in  the  judicious  treatment  of  scarlet  fever, 
which  prevailed,  of  a  malignant  type,  at  one  time  espec 
ially  during  his  residence  in  Bradford.  He  left  this  towif 
about  the  year  1807,  and  went  into  practice  in  the  north 
ern  part  of  New  York.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Dea- 
cori  Sweet,  of  Bradford.  Of  his  death  we  have  no  ac 
count. 

DOCTOR    WHIPPLE. 

Thomas  Whipple,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Hanover,  N.  H., 
in  the  year  1785.  His  father  was  a  Baptist  minister. 
Thomas  was  thrown  almost  entirely  on  his  own  resourc 
es  in  his  efforts  to  obtain  an  education,  but,  possessing  a 
strong  mind  and  resolute  determination,  he  early  acquired 
a  good  knowledge  of  English  literature,  and  a  valuable 
acquaintance  with  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages.  He 
became  a  popular  teacher,  and  for  several  winters  taught 
the  school  here  in  Goshen  district,  consisting  of  nearly  a 
hundred  scholars,  with  great  success.  He  attended  the 
Medical  Institution  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  received  from 
Dartmouth  College  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  the  year  1814. 
He  commenced  medical  practice  in  the  part  of  this  town 
where  he  had  been  teaching,  but  soon  after  located  him 
self  at  Wentworth7  N.  H.;  where  he  rose  to  distinction  as 


398 

a  successful  practitioner  of  medicine  and  surgery.  He 
married  Phebe  Tabor,  of  this  place,  and  was  sent  from  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire  to  Congress,  where  by  his  tal 
ents  he  gained  notoriety.  But,  like  many  other  men  of 
ability  and  high  promise,  he  gradually  fell  into  habits  of 
intemperance,  and  thereby  did  himself  great  injury.  He 
died  in  the  year  1835,  aged  fifty  years. 

DOCTOR    PUTNAM. 

Dr.  Samuel  Putnam  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1782. 
While  he  was  young  he  came  with  his  father  and  family 
to  Vermont,  and  resided  for  some  years  in  Topsham. 
Samuel  made  good  use  of  his  limited  advantages  for  ac 
quiring  an  education,  and  studied  the  medical  profession 
with  Dr.  Richard  Huntley,  of  Topsham.  He  commenced 
practice  in  the  town  of  Burke,  in  this  State,  where  he  re 
mained  but  a  few  years,  when  he  located  himself  in  this 
town,  near  the  south  line  of  Newbury.  He  practiced 
about  equally  in  the  two  towns,  until  the  year  1816, 
when,  his  health  failing,  he  moved  into  Newbury,  and 
died  there,  of  pulmonary  consumption,  in  the  summer  of 
1817,  aged  thirty-five  years.  His  wife  was  Betsey  Bai 
ley,  daughter  of  Colonel  John  Bailey,  of  Newbury.  They 
had  one  son  and  one  daughter,  Samuel  and  Angelina. 

DOCTOR    COLBY. 

Dr.  Thomas  Colby,  a  native  of  this  town,  was  born  in  1788. 
He  worked  at  farming  in  his  youth,  and  his  advantages 
for  acquiring  a  good  education  were  very  limited.  Being 
unable  to  pursue  the  business  of  agriculture,  from  poor 
health,  he  felt  strongly  inclined  to  try  the  medical  pro 
fession,  and  after  some  effort  at  preparation  entered  on 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  pursued  it  chiefly  with  Dr. 
Wellman,  of  Piermont,  N.  H.,  and  Dr.  McKinstry,  of  New 
bury.  He  commenced  practice  in  this  village  in  the 
year  1812.  In  the  autumn  of  1815  he  located  himself  on 


399 

the  Upper  Plain,  near  the  cemetery,  and  there  continued 
in  his  professional  business  till  near  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  December  26,  1829.  Dr.  Colby  was  by 
many  considered  a  skillful  physician,  especially  in  fevers, 
and  for  several  years  did  a  fair  amount  of  business.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-one.  His  wife  was  Eliza  Kimball, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Kimball,  Esq.,  of  this  town.  They 
had  two  daughters  and  a  son,  no  one  of  whom  is  known 
to  be  living  now. 

DOCTOR  POOLE. 

As  he  was  long  here  and  extensively  known,  of  him  a 
somewhat  more  full  account  may  be  expected. 

Dr.  John  Poole  was  born  at  Plaintield,  N.  H.,  February 
22,  1792.  Blessed  with  a  firm  physical  constitution  and 
good  intellectual  powers,  he  grew  up  to  be  an  energetic, 
intelligent,  and  worthy  young  man.  Having  acquired  a 
good  academic  education,  and  being  inclined  to  the  medi 
cal  profession,  he  entered  as  a  student  the  medical  de 
partment  of  Dartmouth  college,  and  having  pursued  a 
regular  course,  under  the  instruction  of  such  men  as  Pro 
fessors  Muzzey,  Perkins,  and  Dana,  graduated  with  honor 
in  1817. 

The  next  year,  1818,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  he 
established  himself  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  in  Brad 
ford,  Vt.,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  pro 
fession  for  fifty-one  years,  or  within  a  few  weeks  of  his 
decease,  which  occurred  April  14,  1869,  when  he  was  a 
little  over  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  When  he  came 
here  Dr.  Arad  Stebbins,  who  had  long  been  the  principal 
physician  in  the  place,  was  drawing  near  to  the  close  of 
his  active  life,  and  "Dr.  Poole,  without  any  particular 
agreement  or  unpleasant  collision,  gradually  became  his 
well-received  successor. 

During  the  half  century  of  his  practice  Dr.  Poole  per- 


400 

formed  a  vast  amount  of  professional  business  in  this  and 
the  neighboring  towns.  Possessing  firm  health,  being 
strictly  temperate  in  all  his  habits,  and  wholly  devoted  to 
his  profession,  he  was  habitually  ready  to  go,  when  call 
ed,  whether  by  day  or  night,  and  however  uncomfortable 
the  weather  or  the  traveling  might  be.  Whether  he  was 
to  go  with  a  fair  prospect  of  compensation,  or  to  attend 
on  those  who  were  known  to  be  too  poor  ever  to  reward 
him  for  his  services,  made  no  difference  in  regard  to  his 
prompt  attendance  and  persevering  visitations.  Whatev 
er  help  he  could  afford  the  sick  and  suffering  he  was  happy 
to  render,  and  was,  no  doubt;  quite  as  successful  in  his 
practice  as  the  generality  of  physicians  are.  Many  who 
have  been  carried  by  him  through  trying  scenes  of  phys 
ical  prostration  and  distress,  still  live  to  remember  him 
with  affectionate  gratitude  during  the  remnant  of  their 
days. 

As  the  Doctor  was  accustomed  to  keep  himself  well-in 
formed  by  the  reading  of  the  new  publications  in  the  line 
of  his  profession,  and  had  acquired  much  knowledge  by 
experience  in  the  course  of  his  long  practice,  he,  perhaps 
rather  insensibly  to  himself,  became  so  firmly  assured  of 
his  own  ability  and  skill  as  a  practitioner  as  to  be  rather 
intolerant  of  any  person  or  thing  that  he  viewed  in  the 
light  of  rivalry,  or  interference  in  any  way  with  his 
customary  business,  and  consequently  was  not  apt  to  be 
on  very  good  terms  with  other  physicians,  who  thought 
they  had  as  good  a  right  as  he  to  locate  themselves  here, 
and  minister  to  such  as  might  call  for  their  services.  The 
Doctor  was  particularly  disturbed  by  any  departure  from 
the  old  line  of  practice,  and  unsparing  in  his  censures  of 
everything  which  he  denominated  quackery.  It  gave 
him  great  dissatisfaction  also  to  have  any  of  his  old  friends 
turn  away  from  him  and  patronize  those  whom  he  esteem 
ed  less  worthy  of  their  confidence.  Being  a  man  of  rath 
er  excitable  temperament,  and  of  strong  will,  these  views 


401 

and  feelings  caused  him  much  unhappiness,  and  not  un- 
frequently  proved  very  annoying  to  others,  The  fact  is, 
physicians,  like  other  professional  and  business  men, 
while  aiming  to  make  themselves  worthy  of  public  confi 
dence  and  encouragement,  must— at  all  events  should 
—be  willing  that  the  people,  their  old  employers  as  well  as 
others,  should  enjoy  the  privelege  of  acting  according  to 
their  own  choice  in  regard  to  giving  or  not  giving  them 
their  patronage.  When  one's  health  and  life  are  at  stake 
he,  if  competent,  and  if  not  competent,  his  friends,  must 
be  left  free  to  employ  whatever  medical  counsel  or  means 
of  cure  they  prefer,  inasmuch  as  they  are  mainly  con 
cerned  in  the  consequences.  True  merit  will  not  fail  in 
the  long  run  to  maintain  its  ground  and  respectability. 

Dr.  Poole  was,  not  only  in  his  profession  but  outside  of 
it,  a  worthy  and  valuable  citizen.  Strictly  temperate 
himself,  he  wished  to  see  the  cause  of  temperance  promo 
ted,  in  the  use  of  the  wisest  and  most  efficient  means. 
The  vulgar  use  of  tobacco,  and  such  like  narcotics  and 
stimulants,  received  from  him  no  countenance.  With  the 
company  of  the  vicious  and  profane  he  had  no  affinity; 
you  would  find  him  not  walking  in  the  way  of  sinners,  or 
sitting  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful ;  but  associating  with 
those  who  were  endeavoring  to  promote  the  interests  of 
intelligence,  morality,  good  order,  and  religion  in  society. 

The  doctor  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  due  education 
of  children  and  young  people,  and  wished  to  see  the 
schools  well  conducted  and  prosperous.  For  some  twen 
ty-three  years  he  had  been  clerk  of  the  school  district  to 
which  he,  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  belonged  ;  and 
one  dark  evening,  about  two  weeks  before  his  decease, 
when  his  bed  or  an  easy  chair  would  seem  to  be  the  most 
suitable  place  for  him,  came  out  and  attended  an  annual 
meeting  of  this  sort,  and  was  reappointed  to  his  clerkship. 
He  had  also  acted  as  a  Trustee  of  Bradford.  Academy  lor 
about  thirty-six  years,  and  for  most  of  the  time  in  some 


402 

special  official  capacity.  In  the  affairs  of  the  religious 
society  to  which  he  belonged  he  was  also  an  efficient 
member ;  and  with  faithfulness  filled  some  official  station 
for  twenty-five  years.  During  a  considerable  part  of  this 
time  he'  performed  the  somewhat  self-denying,  but  very 
important,  service  of  collecting  his  pastor's  salary,  and 
thus  securing  to  the  people  the  permanent  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  with  its  attendant  blessings.  In  these  arid  va 
rious  other  ways  he  seemed  to  take  real  pleasure  in  doing 
good.  He  evidently  wished  to  see  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  about  him  promoted,  and  was  ready  to  do 
his  part. 

As  it  regards  the  domestic  relations  of  Dr.  Poole,  it 
may  be  remarked  that  the  wife  of  his  youth,  his  only 
wife,  was  Mary  Evans,  with  whom  he  was  united  in  mar 
riage  May  27,  1821.  She  was  a  lady  of  pleasing  personal 
appearance,  devoted  to  home  duties,  but  benevolent  to 
ward  all,  and  a  beloved  member  of  the  household  of  faith. 
With  several  others,  she  united  with  the  Congregational 
church  here  in  the  year.  1831,  and  so  continued  to  the 
close  of  life.  She  died  away  from  home,  at  the  house  of 
her  youngest  daughter,  near  New  York,  August  19, 1861, 
at  the  age  of  sixty- five  years.  Her  remains  were  brought 
here  for  interment.  Dr.  Poole  and  wife  had  eight  child 
ren,  of  whom  three  died  in  infancy.  Horace  B.,  a  young 
man  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  druggist, 
died  at  the  house  of  his  father,  September  17, 1857,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two  years.  Three  daughters  and  one  son  re 
main.  The  eldest  of  these,  Mary  L.,  married  A.  G-.  Rich 
ardson,  of  California,  and  resides  there.  Her  husband 
died  a  few  months  or  weeks  before  her  father.  Julia  S. 
married  Henry  C.  Bidwell,  also  of  California,  and  there  has 
her  home.  Cornelia  Frances,  the  youngest  daughter,  was 
the  wife  of  Wm.  D.  Skidmore,  now  deceased,  and  lives  at 
Mount  Yernon,  near  New  York.  Charles  Carroll,  having 
been  preserved  through  many  hardships  and  perils  in  the 


403 

service  of  his  country,  was  the  only  member  of  the  family 
who  had  the  privilege  of  ministering  to  his  father  in  his 
last  sickness,  or  of  appearing  as  a  mourner  at  his  funeral, 
Mrs.  Poole,  his  wife,  being  with  him.  He  is  by  occupa 
tion  a  house  carpenter.  They  now,  1874,  reside  in  St. 
Johnsbury. 

Dr.  Poole  became  hopefully  pious  and  united  with  the 
Congregational  Church  during  the  great  revival  which 
was  here  enjoyed  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1837,  and 
so  continued.  He  was  strictly  evangelical  in  his  senti 
ments  ;  took  a  deep  interest,  especially  during  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  in  the  Sabbath  School,  having  charge  of 
a  class  of  intelligent  men ;  he  loved  to  attend  social  meet 
ings  ;  and  was,  not  only  a  dilligent  student  of  the  holy 
Scriptures,  but  a  man  of  prayer.  For  months,  if  not 
years,  before  his  decease,  he  seemed  to  be  deeply  impress 
ed  by  a  conviction  that  he  was  a  great  sinner,  who  need 
ed  a  great  Saviour ;  and  on  this  theme  he  dwelt  continual 
ly,  with  apparently  the  utmost  seriousness.  Hope  gener 
ally  prevailed  that  through  Christ  he  should  find  forgive 
ness  and  salvation ;  but  his  hope  at  times  was  not  without 
fear  and  trembling.  He  said  he  wanted  clearer  evidence 
that  he  had  been  really  created  anew  in  righteousness  and 
true  holiness,  and  was  indeed  united  to  the  blessed  Sav 
iour  by  a  living  faith ;  that  he  must  at  all  events  cling  to 
Him,  and  to  Him  alone,  as  the  Lord  his  righteousness. 

As  he  drew  near  to  death  he  expressed  good  will  tow 
ards  all  men,  without  exception ;  and  deeply  regretted  that 
he  had  ever  exhibited  or  felt  any  measure  of  a  different 
spirit. 

The  Doctor  was  ver}r  tenacious  of  life.  It  was  unpleas 
ant  to  him  to  have  his  friends  ever  allude  to  his  failing 
strength ;  he  did  not  like  to  talk  about  death  ;  he  kept  about 
as  long  as  he  possibly  could ;  but  at  the  time  appointed  all 
his  powers,  both  physical  and  mental,  gave  way  ;  and  he 
passed  quietly  to  that  land  from  which  no  traveler  returns. 


404 

We  cannot  doubt  that,  notwithstanding  all  those  imper 
fections  of  which  he  was  so  painfully  sensible,  to  him 
death  has  proved  immense  and  eternal  gain,  arid  that  he 
is  now  most  fervently  thankful  to  God  who  has  given  him 
the  victory  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

'Brother  tbou  art  gone  to  rest, 

Thy  cares  and  toils  are  o'er  ! 
And  sorrow,  pain,  and  sufferirg  now, 

Shall  ne'er  distress  thee  more." 

DR.  WILLIAM  MARTIN. 

See  the  account  of  the  family  of  Dea.  Reuben  Martin. 

DOCTOR    ROGERS. 

Dr.  John  L.  Rogers  was  born  in  Northrield,  N.  H.,  in 
1803.  He  studied  his  profession  with  Dr.  T.  Haynes,  of 
Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine 
at  East  Corinth,  in  May,  1839.  In  the  year  1848  he 
moved  to  Bradford  Center,  where  he  continued  in  pro 
fessional  business  for  several  years.  His  mode  of  prac 
tice  was  Eclectic,  and  he  had  patients,  at  different  times, 
in  most  of  the  towns  in  Orange  County.  He  removed 
from  Bradford  Center  to  Canaan,  N.  H.,  and  at  this  writ 
ing  is  understood  to  be  in  successful  business  there. 

DOCTOR   CARTER. 

Dr.  William  H.  Carter  was  a  native  ol  Newbury,  born 
May  28,  1801.  His  father,  Dea.  William  Carter,  was  a 
native  of  Kingston,  N.  H.  He  migrated  to  Topsham,  Vt., 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  \vas 
the  third  settler  in  that  town.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Newbury,  and  in  the  year  1806  to  Bradford.  William 
H.  was  the  youngest  of  the  family.  He  worked  at  farm 
ing,  with  only  common  school  advantages  for  education, 
until  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  then  attended  Bradford 
Academy  for  some  time,  commencing  with  its  first  term, 


405 

in  the  spring  of  1821.  He  there  acquired  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages  to  enable 
him  to  enter  with  advantage  on  the  study  of  medicine. 
Being  destitute  of  pecuniary  help,  he  was  obliged  to  rely 
on  his  own  earnings  to  defray  his  expenses  ;  obliged,  also, 
to  forego  many  advantages  now  generally  enjoyed  by 
medical  students.  His  professional  studies  were  pursued 
under  the  instruction  of  James  Petrie,  M.  D.,  of  Topsham, 
and  Calvin  Jewett,  M.  D.,  of  Newbury.  He  attended 
medical  lectures  at  Dartmouth  College,  and  received 
there  the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  1827  he  located  himself  in 
business  at  West  Newbury,  where  for  twenty-six  years 
he  had  an  increasing  and  successful  practice.  In  1853 
he  removed  to  Bradford  village,  and  thence  onward  to 
this  date,  a  period  of  over  twenty  years,  his  professional 
services  have  continued  to  be,  and  still  are,  in  good  de 
mand.  He  has  now  been  in  medical  practice  for  nearly 
forty-seven  years.  Doctor  Carter  married  Miss  Hannah 
H.  Eastman,  daughter  of  David  Eastman,  Esq.,  of  Tops- 
ham.  The  doctor  and  his  wife  have  for  years  been  mem 
bers  of  the  Congregational  church  in  this  place.  In  1829 
they  became,  by  profession,  members  of  the  Congrega 
tional  church  in  Newbury.  They  have  two  daughters, 
Susan  E.,  wife  of  Dr.  A.  A.  Doty,  of  this  village,  and  Jen 
nie  A.,  wife  of  Dr.  Eugene  L.  Boothby,  of  Fairlee.  Dr. 
Carter's  influence  in  society  has  been  in  all  respects  de 
cidedly  salutary. 

Mrs.  Boothby,  daughter  of  Doctor  Carter,  died  at  the 
house  of  her  father,  September  18,  1874. 

DOCTOR  GUSHING. 

Dr.  Alvin  M.  Gushing  was  born  at  Burke,  Caledonia 
county,  Vt.,  September  28,  1829.  He  graduated  from 
the  Homcepathic  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania,  March 
1,  1856,  and  located  in  Bradford  directlv  after,  in  the 


406 

month  of  May.  He  was  the  first  to  introduce  Homoepa- 
thy  into  this  town,  and  the  first,  as  he  says,  to  practice  it 
exclusively  in  this  County  of  Orange.  He  came  a  young 
man,  a  stranger  to  all,  and,  though  strongly  opposed  by 
doctors,  and  many  others,  on  account  of  this  then  new 
way  of  practice,  yet,  as  Dr.  Poole  said,  "believed  in  it 
and  stuck  to  it,"  and  was  successful  in  gaining  a  large 
practice.  His  residence  was  in  the  same  house  which 
the  writer  of  this  now  occupies.  He  married  Miss  Han 
nah  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Pearsons,  then  of 
Hartford,  Vt.,  but  formerly  of  Bradford.  The  doctor 
practiced  here  for  nearly  five  years.  In  the  autumn  of 
1866,  while  riding  in  the  western  part  of  this  town,  he 
met  with  an  accident,  injuring  his  spine  so  seriously  that 
he  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  large  practice  for  a  while, 
and  he  removed  to  Lansingburg,  N.  Y.  After  about  four 
years  there,  the  failure  of  his  wife's  health  compelled  him 
to  leave  his  pleasant  home  and  lucrative  practice  there 
and  seek  a  residence  near  the  ocean.  He  finally  settled 
in  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  he  at  this  date  is  understood  to 
have  an  extensive  practice.  He  has  written  several 
medical  works  which  have  been  well  received  by  the  pro 
fession.  Dr.  Gushing  and  wife  have  three  sons,  and  many 
reasons  to  be  contented  and  happy. 

DOCTOR  CARPENTER. 

Dr.  William  S.  Carpenter  was  a  native  of  Moretown, 
Vt.,  born  March  31,  1818.  He  studied  his  profession  un 
der  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Sanborn,  of  Lyndon,  and  grad 
uated  at  Dartmouth  College  as  M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1842. 
He  commenced  medical  practice  here  soon  after,  and 
continued  with  good  success  for  more  than  ten  years. 
He  married  Miss  Helen  Louisa  Ladd,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Austin  Ladd,  of  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  where  she  was  born 
December  7,  1825.  They  were  married  October  1,  1845. 
They  had  but  two  children,  both  of  whom  died  early. 


407 

The  Doctor  while  here. built  a  nice  cottage  on  Main 
street,  in  or  near  the  year  1850,  the  same  which  Dr.  Car 
ter  now  owns  and  occupies,  and  lived  there  during  the 
remainder  of  his  stay  in  Bradford.  He  removed  to  Chi 
cago,  and  there  settled  May  1,  1854,  with  fair  prospects. 
He  had,  however,  but  fairly  commenced  practice  there 
before  his  very  estimable  wife  was  taken  dangerously 
sick,  and  on  the  5th  of  June  died,  in  the  twenty-ninth 
year  of  her  age.  Mrs.  Ladd,  her  good  mother,  died  there 
soon  after,  arid  the  Doctor  himself  died  in  the  same  city, 
August  31,  1855,  in  the  thirty-eight  year  of  his  age.  His 
remains,  with  those  of  his  wife,  were  brought  to  Brad 
ford  for  burial,  their  final  resting  place  in  the  cemetery 
being  designated  by  a  marble  obelisk. 

DOCTOR  A.  A.  DOTY  AND  FAMILY. 

A  few  words  first  in  regard  to  his  parentage.  His 
father,  Abner  Doty,  was  a  native  of  Rochester,  Mass., 
and  with  his  parents  moved  to  East  Montpelier,  Vt.,  March 
15,  18 — ,  he  being  at  that  time  six  year  of  age.  The  mode 
of  conveyance  was  by  an  ox  team,  and  it  took  three  weeks 
to  perform  the  journey.  Quite  a  contrast  with  railroad 
speed.  In  early  manhood  Abner  Doty  married  Betsey 
Putnam,  a  direct  descendant  of  General  Israel  Putnam,  of 
historic  renown.  After  the  birth  of  two  children,  he 
moved  his  family  to  Elmore,  in  Lamoille  County,  then  a 
sparsely  settled  town.  He  was  promoted  to  the  highest 
office  of  the  town,  for  many  years,  and  was  kept  in  the 
performance  of  some  official  duty  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1847. 

His  son,  Dr.  Abner  A.  Doty,  was  born  in  Elmore,  March 
15,  1828,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
Spring  of  1851,  with  William  H.  Carter,  M.  D.,  then  of 
Newbury,  Vt.,  and  graduated  at  Hanover,  N.  H.  Medical 
College  in  1854.  He  commenced  practice  in  Newbury, 


408 

and  continued  there  for  two  years,  when  he  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  spent  some  months  in  attending  lectures, 
and  at  the  hospitals,  and  then  came  to  Bradford  and  com- 
mencerl  medical  practice  here  in  1856:  where  for  eighteen 
years  he  has  devoted  himself  closely  to  his  professional 
business,  and  found  full  employment.  Although  most  of 
the  time  in  delicate  health,  so  entire  has  been  his  attention 
to'  his  home  practice  that  he  has  never,  he  remarks,  left  it 
for  a  day,  except  to  visit  sick  friends  abroad,  or  on  ac 
count  of  his  own  sickness. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  in  Bradford,  he  united  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  chosen  one  of 
its  Stewards,  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  ever  since. 
He  has  also  been  for  several  years  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  the  Graded  School  in  this  village,  embracing 
Bradford  Academy. 

As  it  regards  the  domestic  relations  of  Doctor  Doty, 
we  remark  that  at  the  commencement  of  his  practice  he 
married  Miss  Susan  Carter,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Car 
ter,  a  worthy  lady,  and  they  have  had  four  children,  all 
daughters,  namely : 

Jennie  Kathrinne,  born  January  16,  1857. 

Minnie,  born  July  29,  1859.     Died  November  22,  1872. 

Susie  Isabelle,  born  March  26,  1866.  • 

Marion  Gertrude,  born  April  24,  1872. 

DOCTOR  WARDEN  AND  FAMILY. 

Jonathan  Warden  was  a  native  of  Greenock,  Scotland, 
born  September  30,  1795.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Joanna  Ferguson,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  coun 
try,  born  November  15, 1798.  They  were  united  in  mar 
riage  January  15,  1827,  and  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
1842,  arriving  September  1st,  They  spent  their  first 
winter  at  Ryegate,  Vt,  They  removed  thence  to  Haver- 
hill,  N.  H.,  in  the  spring  of  1843,  and  there  remained  until 


400 

the  autumn  of  1848,  when  they  came  to  Bradford,  Vt., 
and  here  remained  during  the  remainder  of  their  abode 
on  earth.  Mr.  Warden,  though  not  a  practicing  physi 
cian,  was  universally  styled  Doctor,  as  his  principal  occu 
pation  consisted  in  preparing  and  selling  medicines, 
which  by  many  families  and  individuals  were  highly  ap 
preciated,  and  somewhat  extensively  used  in  this  vicinity. 
Both  the  doctor  and  his  wife  were  much  esteemed  by 
those  who  knew  them.  Mrs.  Warden  died  July  24,  1856, 
in  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  her  age ;  and  his  decease  oc 
curred  June  3,  1869,  in  his  severity-fourth  year.  Their 
remains  repose  side  by  side  in  Bradford  cemetery. 

They  had  one  daughter  and  two   sons,  all  natives  of 
Scotland,  namely : 

1.  Joanna,  who  grew  up  an  amiable  and  good  young 
lady,  and   September  28,  1872,  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Daniel  Carpenter,  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  with  whom  she 
has  there  a  pleasant  home. 

2.  Peter  Warden,  learned  the   business  of  a  watch 
maker  and  jeweller,  went  South,  and  settled  at  Tallahas 
see,  Florida ;  married  there  a  Miss  Gibson,  had  two  chil 
dren  ;  in  1863  went,  in  feeble  health,  to  Cuba,  and  died 
there  November  13th  of  that  year.     A  very  worthy  young- 
man  he  was. 

3.  Joseph  M.  Warden,  born  1840,  November  23,  be 
came,  like  his   brother,  a  watchmaker  and  jeweller,   re 
mained  in  Bradford,  and  has  for  years  been  diligently  en 
gaged  in  his  favorite  business ;  also  as  a  telegraphic  ope 
rator  ;  giving  general  satisfaction   in  both  employments. 

J.  M.  Warden,  April  28,  1861,  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Fannie  A.  Flanders,  daughter  of  Mr.  Josiah 
Flanders,  of  Vershire.  They  have  a  desirable  homestead 
on  Pleasant  street,  in  this  village.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warden 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  church  here,  as  was 
their  sister,  Mrs.  Carpenter,  before  her  removal  to  St. 
Johnsbury. 
27 


416 

Doctors  J.  N.  Clark  and  0.  H.  Stevens,  well-known  and 
highly  esteemed  dentists,  in  the  use  of  all  modern  im 
provements,  are  established  here,  in  the  successful  prac 
tice  of  their  professional  business. 

Of  Doctors  Barnabas  Wright,  Hiram  Bliss,  and  Henry 
Hays,  who  for  years  successfully  practiced  here,  but  long- 
since  removed,  and  have  deceased,  we  have  no  particular 
account  to  give.  Neither  have  we  been  able  to  obtain 
any  from  Doctor  Julian  H.  Jones,  homoeopathist,  now  in 
successful  practice  in  this  town  and  vicinity. 


411 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Rev.  Silas  McKeen  and   Family. 

REV.   SILAS   McKEEN  AND   FAMILY. 

Some  time  ago>  at  the  solicitation  of  my  daughters,  I 
commenced  and  persevered  in  writing  out  a  somewhat 
extended  account  of  our  McKeen  race^  beginning  far  back 
in  Scotland,  and  coming  down,  through  Ireland  and  the 
emigration,  to  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  and  thence  to  Ver 
mont,  with  the  collateral  branches  extending  East,  West, 
arid  South.  This  account,  though  of  interest  to  us,  must 
be  reduced  to  comparatively  narrow  limits  in  such  a  book 
as  this.  I  am  still  in  danger  of  saying  too  much. 

James  McKeen,  Esq.,  commonly  called,  in  his  latter 
days,  and  by  his  posterity,  Old  Justice  McKeen,  a  leading 
man  in  the  little  colony  from  Ireland  which  settled  in  the 
Spring  of  1719  at  Nutpelee,  subsequently  Londonderry, 
N.  H.,  was  my  great  grandfather.  His  second  wife,  the 
one  who  came  with  him  to  this  country,  was  Annas  Car- 
gill,  a  sister  of  Mary,  wife  of  Rev.  James  McGregor,  their 
minister. 

Their  son,  James  McKeen,  born  within  a  year  after  their 
arrival  in  this  country,  was  my  grandfather.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Dinsmoor,  who  died  young,  leaving  one  son, 
David  McKeen,  who  was  my  father.  He  married  Margar 
et  McPherson,  and  continued  a  few  years  with  his  father 
on  the  old  home  place,  where  their  first  four  children 
were  born,  and  then  removed  to  Corinth,  Vt.,  about  the 
year  1781,  where  they  had  eight  children  more.  In  the 
whole,  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  happily  interspersed. 
Elizabeth  married  Nathaniel  Ingalls  ;  -  Mary  married  Wil 
liam  Johnson,  and  after  his  decease,  James  Richardson; 
Daniel  McKeen  married  Sarah  Libbey;  John  married 
Sally  Collins  ;  Jenney  married  Henry  Doe ;  Sally  married 


412 

James  Annis;  and  Robert,  Almira  Paine;  all  of  whom  had 
children,  now,  with  their  posterity,  widely  scattered  over 
the  country.  My  brothers  James  and  David,  and  sisters 
Margaret  and  Annis,  died  in  their  youth,  unmarried.  My 
truly  good  mother  died  of  fever  at  Corinth,  in  the  fifty- 
fifth  year  of  her  age.  My  father  subsequently  married 
Lydia  Ingalls,  of  Methuen,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  a  son, 
David,  and  a  daughter,  Lydia,  who  died  in  early  life. 
Their  mother  died  of  small  pox  at  Corinth,  in  the  Autumn 
of  1810,  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  My  father, 
David  McKeen,  Esq.,  died  suddenly  of  heart  disease,  De 
cember  2,  1824,  on  a  Thanksgiving  Day  morning,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years. 

I  am  at  this  writing,  and  for  years  have  been,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  this  once  large  and  flourishing  fam 
ily.  Having  long  been  an  inhabitant  of  Bradford,  arid 
my  children  all  natives  of  the  place,  some  more  particular 
account  of  myself  and  family  will  naturally  be  expected. 

I  was  born  in  Corinth,  Vt.,  March  16,  1791;  my  place 
in  the  order  of  my  mother's  children  being  the  tenth. 
One  does  not  love  to  say  much  about  himself,  though  he 
of  course  knows  more  about  himself  than  any  one  else 
does  or  can.  And  I  am  the  more  inclined  to  give  a  sketch 
of  my  early  history,  hoping  it  may  encourage  some  other 
poor  boy,  anxious  to  acquire  useful  knowledge,  to  perse 
vere,  amid  whatever  difficulties,  in  doing  the  best  he  can. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord,  we  are  divinely  assured,  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom;  and  I  can  truly  say  that  from  my 
childhood  I  was  habitually  impressed  with  such  reverence 
for  Him  that  I  was  accustomed  in  my  humble  way  to  im 
plore  His  guidance,  forgiveness,  and  blessing.  This  early 
habit,  I  am  satisfied,  was  of  inestimable  benefit  to  me.  I 
also  felt  a  profound  respect  for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and 
for  the  Lord's  Day,  though  I  had  become  a  lad  of  perhaps 
a  dozen  years  of  age  before  we  had  any  regular  public 


413 

worship  that  I  could  attend.     At  home  we  had  family 
prayers,  and  were  taught  the  Westminister  Catechism. 

I  do  not  remember  any  of  my  youthful  associates  who 
habitually  manifested  any  special  interest  in  religious 
concerns.  They  were  generally  full  of  fun  and  frolic,  and 
were  by  their  parents  suffered  to  run  merrily  on,  in  their 
chosen  ways,  with  but  little  restraint.  Some  of  the  boys 
and  young  men  of  my  acquaintance  were  profane,  and 
otherwise  immoral ;  but  as  for  profanity,  it  was  no  temp 
tation  to  me,  for  I  always  abhorred  it ;  and  for  card-play 
ing,  or  any  other  sort  of  gambling,  I  had  no  inclination. 
Of  social  gatherings,  and  exhilerating  plays,  I  was  suffi 
ciently  fond,  but  all  along  felt  that  these  were  not  the 
things  of  chief  importance.  Boys  in  those  days  were  re 
quired  to  work  more  than  they  do  now,  and  then  I  had 
such  a  desire  for  reading  and  mental  improvement  that 
time  seemed  too  precious  to  be  wasted. 
•  The  first  school  I  ever  attended  was  in  my  father's 
barn,  then  new,  but  now  old.  There  I  began  Webster's 
spelling  book,  under  the  tuition  of  Miss  Betsey  Morrison, 
for  whom  I  ever  after  entertained  a  very  cordial  respect. 
After  that  I  used  to  go,  summer  and  winter,  to  a  school 
house  away  over  the  hills,  about  a  mile  distant.  Such 
was  my  desire  to  attend,  I  think  it  must  have  been  the 
first  winter  of  my  going,  that  I  could  not  quietly  wait  for 
shoes,  which  at  the  time  could  not  easily  be  obtained,  and 
so  my  mother  furnished  me  with  cloth  moccasins,  greatly 
to  my  gratification.  Some  of  the  schoolboys,  looking 
down  on  my  teet,  laughed  at  me ;  but  I  was  not  to  be  thus 
disheartened,  conscious  that  I  could  make  those  of  my 
age  feel  that  in  the  main  thing  I  was  not  their  inferior. 
I  believe  I  made  very  good  progress  in  learning,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  I  was  as  well  furnished  with  shoes  as 
my  associates.  I  remember  that  my  progress  in  arithme 
tic,  when  I  came  to  it,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen, 
was  quite  unusual,  it  seemed  to  me  so  easy.  Instead  of 


414 

spending  winter  after  winter  upon  it,  as  in  our  school 
was  customary,  in  one  and  the  same  winter  1  went  pretty 
thoroughly  through  the  system  then  in  use. 

About  this  time  it  became  necessary  that,  except  in  the 
time  of  winter,  I  should  stay  at  home  and  work,  both  on 
the  farm  and  in  my  father's  mills.  He  had  both  a  grist 
mill  and  a  saw-mill,  in  the  same  large  building.  My  main 
employment  for  one  or  two  summer  seasons  was  tending 
the  grist-mill,  and,  as  that  business  among  a  sparse  popu 
lation  was  not  regularly  urgent,  I  found  some  opportuni 
ty  in  the  course  of  almost  every  day  for  a  little  reading 
and  mental  improvement.  It  was  in  that  old  mill  that  I 
commenced  the  study  of  Latin,  and  became  interested  in 
it.  By  some  good  fortune  I  also  obtained  an  old,  tattered 
book  of  navigation,  which,  among  other  things,  contained  a 
diagram  of  a  quadrant,  with  rules  for  its  use  in  finding 
the  latitude  of  places,  by  the  aid  of  which  I  made  one  of 
wood,  which  enabled  me  to  determine  pretty  accurately 
the  latitude  of  my  old  grist-mill,  at  forty-four  degrees  and 
ten  minutes  North.  Another  different  kind  of  a  quadrant 
I  also  made,  by  the  aid  of  which,  and  some  knowledge  of 
trigonometry,  I  could  ascertain  the  height  of  the  tallest 
trees  standing  around  me. 

Finding  me  so  much  inclined  to  study,  my  father  con 
cluded  to  let  me  go,  and  do  for  myself  the  best  I  could. 
Situated  as  he  was,  he  could  help  me  but  little.  He,  how 
ever,  made  arrangements  for  me  to  study  Surveying  with 
John  McDuffee,  Esq.,  of  Bradford ;  who  was  justly  es 
teemed  a  distinguished  master  of  the  art.  This  was  to  me 
an  unexpected  gratification.  In  the  Winter  of  1807-8,  in 
the  17th  year  of  my  age,  I  commenced  school  teaching  in 
Topsham,  with  satisfactory  success.'  This  business  I  fol 
lowed  during  six  succeeding  Winters  ;  two  in  Corinth, 
three  in  Piermont,  N.  H.,  and  one  in  Bradford  village. 
By  so  doing  I  obtained  some  means  for  the  purchase  of 
books,  chiefly  old  ones,  and  for  prosecuting  my  studies 


415 

during  the  rest  of  the  time  ;  with  the  exception  of  some 
weeks  at  home  each  Summer,  occupied  on  the  farm  at  hay- 
ing. 

At  the  age  of  17,  I  went  to  study  Latin,  and  subse 
quently  Greek,  under  the  instruction  of  our  minister,  the 
Rev.  William  Pickles,  originally  from  England,  but  then 
preaching  at  Corinth.  He  was  a  remarkably  large  man,  of 
venerable  appearance,  but  very  social,  and,  in  my  estima 
tion,  very  learned.  I  am  sure  his  teaching  was  very  ben 
eficial  to  me.  My  cousin,  Joseph  McKeen,  afterwards  L 
L.  D.,  and  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  arid  Aaron  Smith,  subsequently  a  distinguished  phy 
sician  in  Hardwick,  Vt.,  were  for  a  part  of  my  term  with 
Rev.  Mr.  Pickles  my  fellow  students.  Under  his  tuition 
I  read  Virgil  straight  through,  without  the  help  of  any 
translation  ;  and  it  became  quite  familiar  to  me.  In  the 
same  way  I  read  Cicero,  and  Gratius  on  the  truth  of  Chris 
tianity,  and  some  other  Latin  authors.  He  also  drilled  me 
pretty  thoroughly  in  the  making  of  Latin.  The  intro 
duction  which  he  gave  me  to  Greek  was  in  the  use  of  a 
Grammar  the  text  of  which  was  in  Latin ;  I  never  saw 
another  like  it ;  and  my  Lexicon  was  of  the  same  sort. 
With  him  I  became  able  to  read  the  Greek  Testament  with 
tolerable  ease  ;  and  was  much  interested  and  profited  by 
the  study  of  Logic,  for  which  he  had  a  special  liking. 

Mr.  Pickles  was  not  only  an  able  teacher,  but  an  elo 
quent  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  though  often  in-feeble  health. 
He  in  the  Summer  seasons  preached  in  the  new,  unfinish 
ed  meeting  house,  in  the  central  part  of  Corinth ;  still 
standing,  but  new  modeled,  and  in  good  condition.  On 
one  occasion,  when  the  house  was  well  filled,  and  I  was 
sitting  away  in  the  back  part  of  the  assembly,  I  was 
startled  to  hear  him  call  out,  "Silas,  I  must  ask  you  to  come 
up  here,  and  read  my  hymns  for  me !"  I  dreaded  to  do  it, 
but  dared  not  refuse ;  and  that  was  my  first  introduction 
to  a  pulpit ;  which  was  in  fact  but  a  joiner's  bench,  with 


416 

some  necessary  fixings  attached  to  it.  While  I  was  away 
teaching,  at  Piermont,  the  subsequent  Winter,  my  good 
friend  died,  January  1, 1811,  at  the  age  of  56  ;  and  his  re- 
mains  were  laid  in  the  cemetery  at  Corinth,  near  the  meet- 
ing  house  in  which  he  used  to  minister.  His  widow,  an 
exceedingly  amiable  and  intelligent  Christian  lady,  also 
from  England,  removed  to  Montville,  Maine,  where  he  had 
left  some  real  estate  ;  and  where,  in  thirty-two  years  after 
the  decease  of  her  husband,  she  died  at  the  age  of'  82, 
in  the  family  of  a  Mr.  Spring,  a  farmer,  who  had  for  the 
property  undertaken  her  support.  They  had  never  had 
any  children. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Pickles  I  pursued  my  studies 
preparatory  to  college  at  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  academy,  until 
my  preceptor  told  me  I  was  prepared  to  enter  two  years 
advanced,  but  about  that  time  I  was  taken  sick,  and  all 
my  prospects  became  dark  and  discouraging.  I  went  to 
the  house  of  my  sister,  Mrs.  Doe,  and  her  kind  husband, 
at  South  Newbury,  where  I  was  kindly  received,  and  lay 
through  the  course  of  a  long  fever,  which  brought  me 
very  near  indeed  to  death.  This  was  in  the  Summer  of 
1812.  I  had  previously  been  very  thoughtful  on  the  sub 
ject  of  religion,  but  was  in  doubt  whether  I  had  really 
passed  from  death  to  life,  and  found  acceptance  Avith  God 
or  not.  During  that  sickness  the  way  of  salvation  re 
vealed  in  the  gospel  appeared  beautifully  plain  to  me,  ex 
actly  adapted  to  my  wants ;  and  the  blessed  Saviour  so  in 
expressibly  precious  that  I  could  not  but  most  heartily 
devote  myself  to  him,  whether  for  life  or  death,  and  felt 
that  he  had  received  me  into  an  everlasting  covenant 
with  himself.  Nor  have  I  from  that  day  to  this  ever  had 
the  least  disposition  to  build  my  hope  of  heaven  on  any 
other  foundation. 

From  that  severe  sickness  I  was  through  divine  good 
ness  raised  up,  as  my  life  work  was  still  before  me.  My 
relatives  who  had  taken  such  tender  and  faithful  care  of 


417 

ine  neither  asked  or  would  receive  any  pecuniary  recom 
pense,  but  the  bill  of  my  physician,  Dr.  Stebbins,  of 
Bradford,  though  not  at  all  exorbitant,  was  so  considera 
ble  as  to  require  not  only  what  little  money  I  then  had, 
but  most  of  my  next  Winter's  wages,  for  its  payment,  and 
of  course  to  discourage  me  from  further  efforts  to  make 
my  way  through  college.  I  went  home  to  recruit,  and  in 
the  meanwhile  to  study  by  myself  as  I  might  be  able. 

After  teaching  in  Piermont  the  subsequent  Winter,  I 
concluded  to  go  and  study  Theology  with  Rev.  Stephen 
Fuller,  of  Vershire,  who,  after  years  of  successful  prac 
tice,  had  acquired  a  good  reputation  as  a  theological  in 
structor,  and  educator  of  pious  young  men  .preparing  for 
the  gospel  ministry.  I  went  to  him  early  in  the  Spring 
of  1813,  and  closed  my  studies  under  his  care  in  July  of 
ths  next  year,  having  in  the  meanwhile  taught  school 
during  a  Winter  term  at  Bradford  village.  Soon  after 
going  to  study  with  Mr.  Fuller,  I  united,  by  profession, 
with  the  Congregational  church  under  his  pastoral  care, 
as  there  was  at  that  time  no  such  church  in  Corinth. 
Henry  Fuller,  the  minister's  eldest  son,  and  a  graduate  of 
Middlebury  college,  subsequently  an  able  minister  on 
Long  Island  and  in  Connecticut,  was  my  fellow  student. 
With  the  instructions  of  my  teacher  I  was  well  satisfied, 
;uid  will  here  give  some  idea  of  his  method. 

Mr.  Fuller,  after  graduation  at  Dartmouth,  had  studied 
for  the  ministry  under  the  instruction  of  the  famous  the 
ologian,  Rev.  Dr.  Burton,  of  Thetford,  and  in  his  teaching- 
pursued  essentially  the  same  course.  I  remember  that 
Judge  Buckingham,  of  Thetford,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  them  both,  once  said  to  me  that  he  thought  Mr.  Ful 
ler  understood  Dr.  Burton's  system  rather  better  than  the 
doctor  himself  did.  His  method  was  to  have  a  series  of 
questions  on  topics  embracing  a  complete  system  of  doc 
trinal  theology,  including  also  the  organization  of  the  vis 
ible  church,  with  its  ordinances,  officers,  and  discipline, 


418 

investigated  by  the  student  in  their  consecutive  oider,  in 
the  light  of  all  available  information,  especially  that  of 
the  divine  oracles,  when  the  result  in  each  case  was  re 
quired  to  be  reduced  to  writing,  and  read  to  the  instruc 
tor,  who,  after  attentive  hearing,  would  give,  with  as 
much  clearness  as  possible,  his  own  views,  with  three 
reasons  approving  of  what  he  considered  well  done,  help 
ing  out  what  was  essentially  correct  but  imperfectly  ex 
pressed,  and  correcting  any  thing  he  might  judge  erroneous. 
Toward  the  close  of  his  course  some  practice  in  prepar 
ing  sermons  was  also  required.  Students  were  also  ex 
pected  to  attend  and  assist  in  conducting  devotional  meet 
ings  in  the  parish. 

Having  in  this  way  gone  through  the  prescribed  course 
of  my  teacher,  I  was  by  him  recommended  to  the  favora 
ble  consideration  of  Orange  Association,  and,  after  due 
examination,  I  was  by  them,  at  Windsor,  July  14,  1814, 
licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Of  all  present  on  that,  to 
me,  trying  occasion,  I  have  for  years  past  been  the  only 
survivor.  My  first  attempt  at  preaching  was  on  the  next 
Sabbath,  at  J^ershire,  on  the  subject  of  evangelical  re 
pentance,  its  nature,  reasonableness,  arid  absolute  neces 
sity  in  order  to  the  divine  forgiveness,  and  then  I  came 
directly  to  Bradford ;  my  services  having  been  for  months 
pre-engaged,  or  at  least  spoken  for.  I  had  but  slender 
preparation,  and  did  not  expect  to  continue  long;  but 
God  gave  me  favor  among  the  people,  and  united  my 
heart  with  theirs  in  lasting  love.  I  was  then  but  a  little 
over  twenty-three  years  of  age.  I  will  here  say  that  the 
great  amount  of  writing  requiring  close  consideration, 
which  in  my  preparatory  course  I  had  been  obliged  to 
perform,  I  subsequently  found  to  be  of  great  benefit  to 
me;  not  so  much  indeed  in  its  outward  results  as  in  the 
mental  discipline  and  habit  thus  established. 

The  Congregational  church  in  Bradford  at  the  time  of 
my  coming  consisted  of  but  eleven  resident  members,  of 


419 

whom  only  three  were  men.  But  as  there  was  no  other 
regular  gathering  for  religious  worship  in  the  village,  our 
congregation  on  the  Sabbaths  was,  I  think,  nearly  or  quite 
as  large  then  as  now.  It  seems  wonderful  that  people 
should  have  attended  as  they  did  in  the  Winter  seasons, 
when,  for  some  year  or  two,  we  had  no  means  of  warming 
our  meeting  house.  It  was  mainly  through  my  influence 
that  such  a  questionable  improvement  as  that  of  making 
a  church,  even  in  Winter,  as  comfortable  as  one's  friends 
at  home  was  here  first  introduced. 

After  preaching  here  somewhat  over  a  year  as  a  candi 
date,  I  accepted  of  a  call  to  become  the  settled  pastor  of 
the  church  and  congregation,  and  was  so  constituted  Octo 
ber  28, 1815,  by  an  ecclesiastical  Council  convened  for  that 
purpose.  My  salary  was  to  be  four  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
with  firewood  in  addition.  There  was  no  provision  by 
the  society  for  a  dwelling  house,  but  Capt.  Trotter,  of  his 
own  accord,  freely  gave  me  the  use  of  the  homestead 
which  I  now  occupy,  from  June,  1816,  till  he  died  in  1822, 
a  period  of  a  little  over  six  years.  Thus  settled,  with  the 
exception  of  a  release  of  two  or  three  months  in  the  Au 
tumn  of  1827  and  beginning  of  the  next  year,  as  related 
in  my  account  of  this  church,  I  remained  its  pastor  till 
December  31, 1832,  a  period  of  eighteen  years  and  near 
ly  six  months  from  my  commencement  here  in  1814. 

This  second  dismission  I  had  asked  for  on  account  of 
a  very  unexpected  call  which  I  had  received  from  the 
First  Congregational  church  in  Belfast,  Maine,  to  become 
their  pastor,  a  call  at  first  declined,  but  which  had  been 
repeated  and  rendered  stronger  by  the  influence  of  dis 
tinguished  ministers  in  that  neighborhood  in  favor  of  its 
acceptance. 

During  this  first  portion  of  my  ministry  in  Bradford 
our  little  church  of  eleven  members  when  I  came  had 
been'  increased  by  the  addition  of  one  hundred  and  seven 
ty  four  others. 


420 

« 

After  about  nine  years  of  pastoral  labor  in  Belfast, 
during  which  we  were  blessed  with  repeated  seasons  of 
refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  one  hun 
dred  and  forty-one  members  were  added  to  that  church,  I 
accepted  of  an  urgent  and  unanimous  call  to  return  to 
my  then  destitute  people  in  Bradford,  and  on  the  25th  of 
May,  1842,  was  by  an  act  of  Council  constituted  for  the 
third  time  their  settled  pastor,  and  so  continued  for  a  lit 
tle  over  twenty-four  years  longer,  when,  having  attained 
to  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  I  finally  resigned,  and 
by  the  same  council  which  ordained  my  worthy  and  be 
loved  successor,  in  perfect  harmony  still  with  my  people, 
I  was  again  dismissed,  November  22,  1866.  I  had  indeed 
closed  my  regular  services  among  them  on  the  last  Sab 
bath  of  the  preceding  July,  after  a  ministry  here  of  about 
forty-three  years. 

After  my  return  from  Maine,  our  God  had  repeatedly 
manifested  His  gracious  presence  and  power  among  us, 
and  the  church  had  been  increased  by  the  further  addi 
tion  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  members,  making  in 
the  whole  during  my  ministry  here  three  hundred  and 
forty-two  by  profession  and  letters  received,  some  five  or 
six  of  whom  were  received  for  the  second  time. 

And  here  I  will  say,  with  gratitude  to  the  God  of  my 
life,  that  before  closing  my  labors  at  Bradford  I  was  in 
vited  by  the  church  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Fairlee 
to  supply  their  pulpit  on  the  alternate  Sabbaths  for  the 
following  year,  and  in  perfect  harmony  with  our  Metho 
dist  friends  there  so  continued  for  about  six  years,  during 
which  we  were  signally  blessed  at  one  time  with  a  glori 
ous  revival  of  religion,  and  both  the  churches  were  in 
creased  and  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  living  mem 
bers.  Both  churches  worshipped  harmoniously  together, 
and  their  Sabbath  school  was  one  and  the  same. 

During  that  period,  to  the  Congregational  Church  about 
30  members  were  added. 


421 

During  my  long  pastorate  in  Bradford  I  was  in  the  con 
stant  practice  of  preaching  twice  on  each  Sabbath,  and 
conducting  a  social  meeting  each  Sabbath  evening,  beside 
one  or  two  others  in  the  course  of  each  week.-  In  the 
early  years  of  my  ministry  here,  several  of  the  neighbor 
ing  towns  were  destitute  of  stated  preaching,  and  I  had 
many  requests  to  preach,  especially  at  funerals,  away  from 
home,  which  I  was  ever  ready  to  do,  to  the  extent  of  my 
ability,  though  for  these  services  I  seldom  received  any 
pecuniary  compensation.  People  have  since  become  more 
considerate.  Thus  situated,  I  was  under  the  absolute  ne 
cessity  to  be  a  diligent  student  of  the  holy  Scriptures, 
and  to  work  hard,  both  early  and  late,  as  I  could  find  op 
portunity,  in  preparing  my  sermons ;  which,  for  several 
years,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  writing  in  full;  afterwards, 
generally,  but  in  part ;  though  not  without  studious  pains 
taking. 

When  I  commenced  preaching,  I  was  entirely  unac 
quainted  with  the  original  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament ;  but  felt  so  much  dissatisfied  with  myself  to 
remain  so  that,  after  a  few  years,  I  obtained  an  elementa 
ry  set  of  Hebrew  books,  and  without  a  teacher  commenc 
ed,  with  determination,  the  study  ot  them ;  and  persever 
ed  with  gratifying  success.  I  have  ever  since  been  glad 
that  I  did  so.  N"o  one  knows  what  he  can  do  in  the  way 
of  study  till  he  faithfully  tries.  After  a  while  several, 
then  young,  ministers  in  this  vicinity  united  with  me  in 
what  we  called  a  Biblical  Association,  for  the  express  pur 
pose  of  aiding  each  other  in  the  diligent  study  of  the 
original  scriptures  ;  and  for  years  we  regularly  met,  at  set 
times,  with  our  lessons  prepared,  both  in  the  way  of  trans 
lation  and  exegesis.  This  was  of  great  advantage,  not 
only  to  me,  but  to  us  all.  These  exercises  in  no  way 
interfered  with  our  duties  or  privileges  as  members  of 
the  larger  circle  of  ministers,  styled  the  Orange  Asso 
ciation,  whose  meetings  we  also,  with  no  little  inter- 


422 

est,  constantly  attended.  My  Biblical  Associates  were 
Rev.  Baxter  Perry,  of  Lyme,and  J.  D.  Farnsworth,  of  Or- 
ford,  N.  H.,  Clark  Perry,  of  Newbury,  Charles  White,  of 
Thetford,  afterwards  D.  D.,  and  President  of  Wabash  Col 
lege,  and  Joseph  Tracy,  then  of  Post  Mills  and  West  Fair- 
lee,  afterwards  editor  of  the  Vermont  Chronicle,  and  as 
Rev.  Dr.  Tracy,  of  Beverly,  Mass.,  well-known  for  his 
History  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For 
eign  Missions,  History  of  the  Great  Awakening,  and  oth 
er  valuable  literary  productions,  all  now,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  myself,  gone  to  their  final  rest.  Indeed  I  do  not 
know  or  suppose  that,  one  of  all  the  ministers  who  were 
laboring  in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  between  the  Green  and 
White  Mountains,  on  my  first  coming  to  Bradford,  can  now  ' 
be  found  on  earth  ;  all  have  passed  away,  and  others  have 
entered  the  fields  they  once  cultivated ;  many  of  whom 
have  been  succeded  by  still  others.  Ministers,  as  well  as 
their  people,  are  continually  passing  away;  but  none  of 
the  truly  faithful  ever  have  labored,  or  ever  will  labor  for 
the  cause  of  Christ  in  vain.  Their  good  influence  will  in 
its  consequences  be  as  enduring  as  immortality. 

In  the  course  of  my  ministry  I  have  repeatedly  rejoiced 
with  trembling  amid  seasons  of  refreshing  from  the  pres 
ence  of  the  Lord  among  my  own  people,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  been  called  to  assist  away  from  home  in  "  Pro 
tracted  Meetings,"  held  for  the  express  purpose  of  awak 
ening  the  minds  of  the  people  more  thoroughly  to  the 
great  concerns  of  religion,  and  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  and 
have  generally  seen  the  power  and  glory  of  God  mani 
fested  on  those  occasions,  sometimes  in  a  way  and  measure 
truly  marvellous. 

I  early  espoused  the  cause  of  Temperance  and  of  Anti- 
Slavery,  and  through  evil  and  good  report  held  on  with 
the  many  others  like  minded,  and  am  thankful  that  I  was 
ever  inclined  to  do  so.  Behold  what  God  hath  wrought ! 

I  have  united  three    hundred  and  thirty  couples  in 


marriage,  and  ministered  at  funerals  very  many,  but  of 
which  for  more  than  fifty  years  past  I  have  kept  no  ac 
count.  I  have  attended  numerous  Ecclesiastical  Coun 
cils,  especially  in  Vermont  and  Maine,  and  been  called  to 
preach  on  about  twenty  ordination  and  installation  oc 
casions,  and  to  perform  other  important  parts  on  probably 
still  more. 

Hoping  to  do  some  good  in  yet  another  wa}7,  I  have 
written  in  the.  course  of  my  ministerial  life  articles,  I  will 
not  say  innumerable,  on  religious  and  other  topics  of  in 
terest,  which,  generally  without  lull  signature,  if  any, 
have  appeared  in  newspapers,  and  other  publications,  in 
various  parts  of  the  country.  And  here  it  seems  in  my 
way  to  mention  that,  while  resident  in  Maine,  the  duty 
on  a  certain  occasion  was  devolved  on  me  to  prepare  a 
reply,  in  behalf  of  the  General  Conference  of  that  State, 
to  a  Southern  Presbytery  which  had  addressed  an  earnest 
remonstrance  to  that  Conference,  on  account  of  our  in 
terference  with  what  said  Presbytery  claimed  to  be  the 
divine  institution  of  slavery.  My  article,  which  cost  me 
a  good  deal  of  labor,  was  so  well  appreciated  at  the  North 
as  to  be  published,  long  as  it  was,  in  several  newspapers, 
and  also  in  pamphlet  form,  for  better  preservation ;  but, 
through  some  mistake,  its  authorship,  after  the  decease  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Cummings,  of  Portland,  was  by  his  biographer 
ascribed  to  him,  though  he  never  wrote  a  word  of  it.  He 
was  on  the  same  committee  with  myself  and  others,  and 
with  approbation  published  the  reply  in  the  Christian 
Mirror,  of  which  he  was  then  the  editor. 

A  considerable  number  of  sermons  which  I  have 
preached  on  various  occasions  have,  by  request  of  the 
hearers,  been  published,  of  which  I  will  here  give  a  brief 
memorandum. 

-  1.     A  Thanksgiving  sermon  :  Watchman,  what  of  the 
night? 

2.     The  friends  of  good  order  called  to  combined  ex- 


424 

ertion :  Who  will  stand  up  for  me  against  the  evil  doers  ? 

3.  A  farewell  sermon. 

4.  A  sermon  before  the  Vermont  Colonization  Society, 
at  Montpelier. 

5.  A  sermon  before   the  Orange  County  Conference, 
on  the  duty  and  proper  management  of  family  worship. 

6.  A  sermon  before  the  Legislature  of  Vermont :  Civil 
government  a  divine  institution. 

7.  A  sermon  before  the  General  Convention,  at  Ben- 
nington  :  The  claims  of  Vermont.  4 

8.  A  sermon  before  the  General  Conference  in  Maine : 
The  triumph  of  Christ's  enemies  no  cause  of  discourage 
ment. 

9.  A  Fast  sermon,  at  Belfast :  God  our  only  hope. 

10.  A  sermon  before  the  American  Missionary  Associ 
ation,  at  Meriden,  Conn. :  Christ  the  conqueror. 

11.  A  sermon  before  the  Bradford  Guards,  when  called 
to  engage  in  their  country's  service. 

12.  A  sermon  in  the  National  Preacher :  Sinners  en 
treated  to  seek  the  Saviour  while  he  may  be  found. 

13.  A  sermon  in  the  Covenanter,  Philadelphia,  on  Ro 
manism. 

Also  funeral  sermons  at  Bradford  and  vicinity,  a  con 
siderable  number,  on  such  topics  as  these : 

14.  The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed. 

15.  The  nature,  duty,  and  benefits  of  a  pious  confi 
dence  in  God. 

16.  Activity  in  duty  urged  from  the  brevity  of  human 
life. 

17.  The  responsibilities  of  young  men. 

18.  The  Bible  the  young  man's  perfect  guide. 

19.  God's  way  in  the  sea ;  at  the  funeral  of  one  of  our 
young  men,  lost  at  sea. 

20.  Our  Heavenly  recognition. 

21.  To  die  is  gain. 

22.  She  hath  done  what  she  could. 


425 

23.  The  attractions  of  Heaven  overcoming  those  oi 
the  earth. 

24.  An  example  of  ministerial  fidelity  and  success  ;  in 
memory  of  Rev.  Increase  S.  Davis. 

Also  a  Scriptural  argument  in  favor  of  withdrawing 
fellowship  from  churches  and  ecclesiastical  bodies  prac 
ticing  or  tolerating  slaveholding  among  them;  published 
by  the  American  Anti-slavery  Society,  at  New  York, 

The  Worth  of  a  Dollar,  a  small  tract  translated  into 
German. 

A  Review  (twenty-six  pages)  in  the  New  Englander, 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Lord's  letter  of  inquiry  to  the  ministers,  on 
the  subject  of  Slavery. 

And,  to  mention  no  more,  An  Address  on  the  Right  Ob 
ject  and  Use  of  Religious  Investigation,  before  the  Socie 
ty  for  Religious  Inquiry  in  the  University  of  Vermont,  at 
Commencement  in  1828,  on  which  occasion  that  University 
conferred  on  the  speaker  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M., 
as  Dartmouth  College  had  six  years  before.  In  1861  the 
same  college  saw  fit  to  attach  to  my  humble  name  the 
further  title  of  D.  D.  For  these  titles  I  never  either  directly 
or  indirectly  sought;  but  was  content  in  silence  to  re 
ceive  them,  as  expressive  of  the  respect  of  the  worthy 
men  who  had  bestowed  them.  Every  man  is  just  what 
he  is ;  and,  whether  with  or  without  titles  of  any  kind,  is 
likely  to  be  estimated  accordingly.  In  promoting  the 
work  in  which  our  religious,  moral,  and  educational  socie 
ties  are  or  have  been  engaged,  I  have  also  had  something 
to  do.'  For  years,  both  in  this  State  and  in  Maine,  I  have 
belonged  to  their  Domestic  Missionary  Boards,  have  acted 
also  as  Secretary  of  the  Vermont  Education  Society,  aux 
iliary  to  the  American,  and  Secretary  of  the  Vermont 
Temperance  Society ;  and,  in  behalf  of  the  General  Con 
vention,  Treasurer  of  the  Fairbanks  fund  to  assist  young 
men  in  their  preparation  for  the  Gospel  Ministry.  I  have 

at  home  taken  a. deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  Brad- 

28 


426 

ford  Academy,  and  as  President  of  its  Board  of  Trustees 
served  for  nearly  forty  years,  when  I  thought  I  had  a 
right  to  be  excused. 

I  have  never  had  to  go  seeking  for  a  parish,  or  employ 
ment,  have  always  had  work  enough  to  do  from  my  youth' 
to  old  age,  for  which  I  am  thankful ;  and  only  regret  that 
I  have  not  done  more  and  better ;  but  am  satisfied  that  I 
have  not  been  doomed  or  left  to  labor  or  live  in  vain. 

I  have  not  in  a  pecuniary  view  sought  great  things  for 
myself;  my  stipulated  salary  has  always  been  rather 
scanty,  and  sometimes  not  well  paid;  but  through  the  lib 
erality  of  friends,  at  home  and  abroad,  unsolicited,  we 
have  been  most  kindly  remembered,  and  probably  have 
been  as  comfortable  and  happy  as  we  should  have  been 
had  we  possessed  ten  times  as  much.  God's  promises  to 
those  who  love  -and  trust  in  Him  are  sure. 

For  a  year  or  two  past  I  have  preached  only  occasion 
ally  ;  but  with  mental  faculties,  so  far  as  I  know,  unim 
paired,  and  remarkable  health  for  one  of  my  age,  and  with 
eye-sight  nearly  as  good  as  in  the  days  of  my  youth,  I 
still  find  enough  to  do,  and  have  been  mainly  occupied  in 
preparing  some  historical  account  of  Bradford  and  its 
people,  which  I  hope  may  be  of  interest  and  use,  not  only 
to  those  of  them  now  living,  but  to  their  posterity.  This 
work  I  feel  in  haste  to  finish,  being  fully  aware  that  my 
time  must  now  be  short.  It  is,  however,  to  me  a  sweet 
thought  that  it  will  be  neither  shorter  or  longer  than  the 
God  of  my  life,  in  His  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  has 
absolutely  determined. 

This  sketch  of  autobiography  would  be  very  incomplete 
without  some  account,  though  brief,  of  my  dearly  beloved 
family. 

My  first  wife  was  Miss  Phebe  Fuller,  eldest  daughter 
of  Rev.  Stephen  Fuller,  of  Vershire.  She  was  born  De 
cember  18,  1794.  We  were  married  by  Rev.  Calvin  No 
ble,  of  Chelsea,  June  4,  1816,  a  few  months  after  her  fa- 


427 

ther's   decease ;    and   the   next   day  commenced  house 
keeping  at  Bradford,  in  the  same  cottage  which  I  now  oc 
cupy,  though  since  that  day  considerably  improved.     She 
was  in  person  somewhat  below  medium  stature,  slender, 
delicate,  and  of  countenance  prepossessing ;  in  mind  and 
manners    cultivated,  of  sweet   disposition,  and   decided 
piety.     We  lived,  and  in  the  days  of  our  youth,  happily 
together  for  four  years  and  nearly  a  half,  when  she  was 
called  away  to  her  heavenly  home.     She  died  of  pulmon 
ary  consumption,  during  the  progress  of  which  her  sweet 
resignation  to /the  clivine  will,  deep  humility,  loving  con 
fidence  in  the  blessed  Saviour,  and  strong  hope  of  eternal 
blessedness,  were  most  admirable.     She  passed  away  on 
the  last  day  of  November,  1820,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year 
of  her  age,  leaving  three  precious  little  daughters,  and 
firmly  trusting  that  God  would  be  very  gracious  to  them, 
and  in  His  own  good  time  bring  them  adorned  in  the  beau 
ties  of  holiness  to  enjoy  with  her  the  perfect  happiness  of 
the  saints  in  Heaven.     Nor  has  this  consoling  hope  been 
disappointed.     Those  children  all  became  hopefully  pious 
in  early  youth,  and  after   beautiful,  though  brief,  lives  of 
usefulness,  died  divinely  sustained  by  the  hopes  and  con 
solations  of  the  gospel. 

As  it  regards  education,  I  will  here  say,  as  it  was  our 
good  fortune  to  live  close  by  a  respectable  academy,  bot]i 
in  Bradford  and  Belfast,  my  children  \vere  all  favored 
with  good  school  privileges  while  at  home,  and  when  of 
suitable  ages  were  prepared  to  go  abroad  to  other  insti 
tutions,  possessing,  in  some  respects  at  least,  for  them 
superior  advantages.  They  were  all  natives  of  Bradford, 
Vt,  and  born  in  the  same  house,  which  I  now  occupy. 

1.  Marianne,  my  eldest  daughter,  was  born  April  14, 
1817.  She  and  her  next  sister,  Serena,  while  young 
misses,  applied  themselves,  among  othet  studies,  to  that 
of  the  Greek  language,  with  so  much  success  as  to  be 
able  to  read  the  gospels,  with  satisfaction,  in  their  origi- 


428 

nal.  She  studied  French,  and  some  other  branches  of 
knowledgB,  at  a  Ladies'  School  in  Bucksport,  Me.,  and  at 
South  Berwick  Academy,  made  fine  progress  in  the  study 
especially  of  astronomy,  and  finished  there  her  academic 
course,  receiving  from  the  trustees  a  well-deserved  diplo 
ma.  After  that,  she  taught  for  about  three  years  in  the 
female  department  of  Gorham  Academy,  and  subsequent 
ly  for  a  year  or  two  in  Belfast  Academy,  of  which  Mr. 
Greorge  Field,  now  Rev.  Dr.  Field,  of  Bangor,  Maine,  was 
then  the  Principal.  After  our  return  to  Bradford,  she 
accepted,  in  the  spring  of  1843,  of  an  invitation  to  take 
charge  of  the  Ladies'  Department  of  the  Academy  at 
Meriden,  N.  H.,  an  important  institution.  In  that  posi 
tion  she  was  expected  not  only  to  teach  several  hours  in 
a  day,  but  to  take  the  entire  care  of  the  young  ladies  in 
their  common  boarding  house  ;  to  distribute  their  work, 
after  the  fashion  of  Mount  Holyoke,  and  see  that  it  was 
properly  done ;  and  moreover  to  purchase  the  provisions 
for  their  tables,  and,  as  agent  for  the  trustees,  pay  the 
bills  for  the  same  !  .Work  enough,  surely,  for  at  least  two 
energetic  ladies  to  perform.  She  endured  it  bravely  for 
some  time ;  but,  while  all  was  apparently  moving  on  suc 
cessfully,  her  health  and  strength,  before  the  close  of  her 
second  year,  were  so  evidently  failing  that  she  was  per 
suaded  to  resign  and  come  home,  to  rest  and  recover  her 
accustomed  physical  energy,  but,  as  the  result  proved,  to 
die.  She  came  in  the  autumn,  and  during  the  subsequent 
winter  everything  was  done  for  her  which  could  be  done 
by  the  family,  Avho  loved  her  as  they  did  their  own  souls, 
and  by  skillful  physicians ;  but  on  the  24th  of  March, 
1845,  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  her  age,  she  peace 
fully  passed  away  to  that  perfect  blessedness  for  which, 
through  grace,  she  was  admirably  prepared.  In  early 
youth  she  heartily  devoted  herself  to  the  blessed  Saviour, 
and  thence  onward  her  path  of  usefulness  and  happiness 


429 

had  been  like  the  rising  light,  which  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  perfect  day. 

2.  Serena  McKeen,  my  second  daughter,  was  born 
January  23,  1819.  She  was  a  lovely  child,  and  became 
decidedly  pious  while  quite  young.  A  few  years  after 
finishing  her  academic  course  with  her  elder  sister,  at 
South  Berwick,  Maine,  she  became,  September  16,  1841, 
the  wife  of  Rev.  Charles  Duren,  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin 
College  and  Bangor  Theological  Seminary,  a  worthy, 
kind-hearted  man,  and  very  devoted  minister  of  the  gos 
pel.  In  the  various  places  in  which  he  was  called  to  la 
bor,  Mrs.  Duren,  though  for  years  in  the  latter  part  of 
her  life  an  invalid,  invariably  exhibited  such  a  beautiful 
example  of  all  the  Christian  graces,  that  her  influence 
was  most  blessed,  and  failed  not  to  secure  the  admiration 
and  love  of  the  many  who  became  acquainted  with  her. 
Amid  the  various  trials  of  life  through  Avhich  she  was 
destined  to  pass,  she  was  so  restrained  by  divine  grace, 
and  by  the  great  kindness  of  all  around  her,  that  she  en 
joyed  an  unusual  degree  of  real  happiness  ;  and  at  West 
Charleston,  Vt.,  August  6,  1862,  in  the  forty-fourth  year 
of  her  age,  died  as  she  had  lived,  confidently  trusting  in 
the  blessed  Saviour.  Her  remains,  with  those  of  her 
daughter,  Elizabeth  F.,  repose  in  the  principal  cemetery 
there. 

Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duren  had  one  son  and  two  daugh 
ters.  Little  Marianne,  their  youngest  child,  died  at  Waits- 
field,  August  31,  1853,  at  the  age  of  two  years  and  two 
months,  and  was  buried  there.  Elizabeth  Freeman,  an  in 
telligent,  pious  and  very  amiable  girl,  died  at  West  Charles 
ton,  December  30,  1860,  in  the  15th  year  of  her  age. 
Charles  McKeen  Duren  was  born  at  Sang^rville,  Me.,  No 
vember  26,  1842.  In  his  youth  he  was  divinely  led  to 
consecrate  himself  to  the  Saviour,  not  only  in  heart,  as 
he  believed,  but  openly.  He  received  a  course  of  educa 
tion  qualifying  him  for  commercial  and  banking  business, 


430 

and  has  for  several  years  held  the  position  of  Cashier  in 
Hardin  County  Bank,  at  Eldora,  Iowa,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  employers  and  the  public.  In  the  26th  year 
of  his  age  he  married  Miss  G-ertrude  Eliza  Whiting, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Lyman  Whiting,  D.  D.,  then  of  Du- 
buque,  an  estimable  lady.  They  have  had  two  sons, 
twins,  who  died  under  two  years  of  age ;  and  now  (1874) 
have  two  daughters,  Alice  Serena,  born  July  23d,  1871, 
and  Mabel,  September  7th,  1873  ;  both  promising  chil 
dren. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Duren  married  for  his  second  wife  Sarah 
Atherton,  a  widow  lady,  of  Sheldon,  Vt.,  and  at  this  date 
is  officiating  as  acting  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church 
at  Plover,  Wisconsin. 

3.  Julia  McKeen,  my  third  daughter,  born  April  16, 
1820,  was  left,  at  the  age  of  seven  months  and  fourteen 
days,  a  motherless  infant.  She  inherited  a  very  delicate 
constitution,  with  a  remarkably  mild  and  affectionate  dis 
position  ;  and  from  childhood  was  very  attentive  to  relig 
ious  instruction.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  she  gave  good 
evidence  of  true  piety,  and  became  a  beloved  member  of 
the  church  in  Belfast,  of  which  her  father  was  pastor. 

After  having  enjoyed  for  several  years  such  education 
al  advantages  as  she  there  had,  early  in  the  autumn  of 
1839  she  went,  with  her  next  younger  sister,  to  the  Acad 
emy  at  Gorham,  Me.,  in  which  their  eldest  sister,  Marianne, 
was  principal  of  the  Ladies'  Department.  She  continued 
there  until  the  next  Spring,  when  her  health  had  so  failed 
that  it  was  not  without  difficulty  she  could  be  brought 
safely  home  from  Portland  to  Belfast  by  steamboat.  Be 
ing  at  home  most  tenderly  cared  for,  she  partially  recov 
ered  ;  but  within  a  year  went  into  a  settled  decline,  which 
terminated  in  death,  June  the  9th,  1841,  in  the  22d  year 
of  her  age.  Her  lingering  and  not  unfrequently  painful 
illness  she  endured  with  admirable  resignation  to  the  di 
vine  will;  invariably  presenting  an  example  of  person- 


431 

al  piety  very  affecting  and  beautiful.  Precious  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  His  saints.  Her  funeral 
services  were  conducted  by  our  dear  friend,  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Thurston,  of  Searsport,  and  her  precious  remains 
were  laid  down  to  their  long  repose  in  the  ministerial  lot 
in  Belfast  Cemetery. 

I  will  now  go  back  so  far  as  to  say  that  these  three 
daughters,  though  bereft  in  childhood  ot  their  own  moth 
er,  were  within  the  course  of  a  year  blessed  with  anoth 
er,  entirely  suited  to  their  condition,  who  took  them  at 
once  to  her  heart,  and  to  whom  they  in  filial  love  clung  as 
their  own  dear  mother,  as  long  as  they  lived. 

My  second  wife  was  Hannah  Johnston,  daughter  of 
Captain  Michael  and  Mrs.  Sarah  (Atkinson)  Johnston,  of 
Haverhill,  N.  H.  Her  father  was  son  of  Colonel  Charles 
Johnston,  honorably  distinguished  among  the  first  settlers 
of  that  town.  She  was  born  at  Haverhill,  June  17,  1793. 
We  were  united  in  marriage  by  her  pastor,  Rev.  Grant 
Powers,  June  13,  1821  ;  and  a  rich  blessing  she  proved  to 
be,  not  only  to  myself  and  family,  but  to  our  friends,  dur 
ing  the  twenty-seven  and  a  half  years  of  her  subsequent 
life.  By  this  marriage  I  had  three  daughters  and  one  son, 
of  whom  some  brief  notices  will  now  be  given. 

4.  Philena  McKeen,  my  fourth  daughter,  was  born  June 
14,  1822.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  months  spent 
with  her  sister  Julia  at  Gorham  Seminary,  she  pursued 
her  studies  at  the  Academy  in  Belfast,  where  we  then  liv 
ed.  But,  having  talents  and  taste  for  vocal  and  instru 
mental  music,  she  subsequently  availed  herself  of  the 
best  instruction  to  be  had  in  Boston,  and  also  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  for  several  years  employed  as  a  teacher, 
with  special  reference  to  music,  at  North  Bridgton,  Me., 
Hanover,  N.  IL,  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  in  Ohio  Female  Col 
lege,  of  which  Alphonso  Wood,  the  Botanist,  was  then 
President,  and  for  three  years  in  the  Western  Female 
Seminary,  at  Oxford,  Ohio.  From  that  position  she  was 


432 

\ 

called,  in  1859,  to  take  charge,  as  Principal,  of  the  Abbott 
Academy  for  Ladies  at  Andover,  Mass.,  where  at  this  date, 
April,  1874,  she  still  remains;  enjoying-  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  institution  under  her  care  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition.  She  early  became  a  member  of  the  household 
of  faith. 

5.  Catherine  McKeen,  born  February  5th,  1825,  like 
her  sisters  became  hopefully  pious  while  young.  In  her 
academic  course  she  was  classmate  with  her  brother  until 
he  entered  Dartmouth  college,  one  year  advanced,  when 
she  commenced  teaching,  but  continued  her  classical  studies 
as  she  had  opportunity.  She  taught  in  Haverhill,  N.  H., 
and  St.  Jolmsbury,  Vt.,  academies,  and  for  several  years 
at  Mount  Holyoke  Ladies7  Seminary,  Mass.  Though  not 
educated  there,  her  services  had  been  sought,  not  only  on 
account  of  her  general  scholarship,  but  with  special  ref- 
ference  to  her  reputation  as  a  very  competent  teacher  of 
Latin.  Her  services  and  influence  as  a  teacher  were  high 
ly  appreciated,  and  in  that  way  of  doing  good  she  found 
great  satisfaction,  but  when  declining  health  admonished 
he'r  that  she  must  retire  for  rest,  and,  if  possible,  the  re 
covery  of  her  accustomed  strength,  she  quietly  yielded 
to  the  necessity.  After  two  or  three  years  spent  partly 
at  home  and  partly  with  her  sisters,  Mrs.  Duren,  at 
Sheldon,  Vt.,  and  Philena  and  Phebe  F.,  at  Oxford,  Ohio, 
she  went  from  there  to  her  aunt  and  uncle  Atkinson's,  at 
Mount  Leon,  West  Virginia,  where,  after  months  of  the 
kindest  care  by  them  and  their  family,  her  peaceful  de 
parture  to  her  final  rest  occurred  July  the  20th,  1858,  in 
the  thirty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  I  had  visited  her  a 
few  weeks  before,  and  her  sisters  from  Oxford  were  with 
her  on  the  affecting  occasion.  Her  remains  repose  in 
the  burial  lot  of  her  kindred  at  Elm  Grove,  near  Wheel 
ing,  West  Virginia.  Catharine  possessed  real  poetical 
genius  and  taste,  of  which  some  specimens  may  be  seen 
near  the  close  of  this  book. 


433 

6.  George  White  field  McKeen,  my  only  son,  was  born 
January  26, 1827.  He  was  a  bright,  promising  boy,  and 
became  hopefully  pious  and  united  with  the  church  when 
about  twelve  years  of  age.  He  early  fitted  for  college, 
and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1846,  in  his  twentieth 
year.  Among  his  classmates  and  beloved  friends  still 
surviving,  were  Professors  Charles  C.  Aikin,  of  Prince 
ton  College,  and  J.  J.  Blaisdell,  of  Beloit,  also  Rev. 
Drs.  J.  W.  Wellman,  and  A.  H.  Quint,  of  Mass.  While  in 
college  his  health  became,  through  too  intense  applica 
tion  to  study,  seriously  impaired,  but  on  leaving  he 
taught  for  a  while  as  assistant  to  his  friend,  Jonathan 
Tenney,  then  Principal  of  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  Academy, 
studied  medicine  some,  both  at  home  and  at  Bangor,  Me., 
and  spent  a  year  or  two  with  main  reference  to  physical 
improvement.  He  had  hoped  to  become  a  good  minister 
of  the  gospel,  but  under  an  impression  that  the  practice 
of  medicine  would  be  more  favorable  to  his  impaired 
health,  he  entered  the  University  of  New  York  as  a  med 
ical  student,  and  for  some  time  went  on  successfully 
there,  until  about  the  middle  of  February,  1850,  when,  un 
der  the  influence  of  a  severe  bronchial  affection,  he  came 
home  to  his  anxious  father  and  sisters — his  beloved  mother 
had  previously  died — and  after  the  best  possible  care  and 
medical  treatment  his  disease  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months  came  to  a  fatal  termination.  His  mind  retained 
its  clearness  and  strength  to  the  very  last,  and  was  kept 
in  perfect  peace,  being  stayed  on  God,  his  Saviour.  He 
died  June  the  9th,  1850,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years, 
four  months  and  fourteen  days.  His  funeral  was  attend 
ed  by  a  great  congregation.  The  Vermont  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  being  at  that  time  in  ses 
sion  at  Bradford,  adjourned  and  united  in  the  services.  A 
sermon  of  great  excellence  and  appropriateness  was 
preached  on  the  occasion  by  Rev.  President  Lord,  from  the 


434 

passage  "Open  them  mine  eyes  that  I  may  behold  won 
drous  things  out  of  the  law." 

The  venerable  preacher  said,  "What  have  we  that  we 
have  not  received  ?"  Our  young  friend  had  a  firte  intel 
lect,  but  God  gave  it  to  him,  and  a  believing  heart,  but  it 
was  the  product  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  sound  principles, 
but  they  were  instilled  into  him  out  of  the  Holy  Scrip 
tures,  and  an  ardent  thirst  for  good  things,  but  it  was  be 
cause  a  divine  power  had  attended  him  to  the  great 
source  of  light  and  life.  He  was  beloved  at  home,  great 
ly  beloved  at  College,  too,  and  honored,  as  I  well  remem 
ber,  and  abroad  in  the  busy  world,  but  it  was  for  quali 
ties  which  he  would  not  have  posessed  if  God,  for  Christ's 
sake,  had  not  produced  them.  He  was  peaceful,  hopeful, 
in  death,  but  he  would  have  died  in  despair,  and  been 
miserable  forever,  if  Christ  had  not  had  mercy  upon  him. 
Wherefore  I  praise  him  not,  but  God." 

7.  Phebe  Fuller  McKeen,  my  seventh  and  last  child , 
was  born  July  21,  1831.  She  obtained  her  school  educa 
tion  mainly  at  our  home  Academy.  She  remembered  her 
Creator  in  the  days  of  her  youth,  and  at  the  age  of  six 
teen  or  seventeen  heartily  consecrated  herself  to  His  ser 
vice.  Her  first  attempt  at  teaching  was  in  a  district 
school  at  Haverhill  Corner,  N.  H.  Then,  after  one  term 
as  an  assistant  teacher  in  Peacham,  Vt.,  Academy,  she  was 
invited  to  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  where,  with  her  sis 
ter  Catherine,  she  taught  for  about  three  years,  after 
which  she  taught  with  her  sister  Philena  for  about  three 
years  in  the  Western  Female  Seminary  at  Oxford,  Ohio. 
From  that  position  she  was  called,  with  her  sister,  to  Ab 
bott  Female  Academy  at  Andover,  Mass.,  in  1859,  where 
they, my  only  surviving  daughters,  are  still  (April,  1874) 
actively,  and  not  without  due  appreciation,  most  usefully 
employed.  While  teaching,  Phebe  F.  has  found  time  to 
write  somewhat  extensively,  under  the  name  of  "  Jenny 
Bradford,"  for  newspapers  and  other  publications,  and  to 


435 

prepare  a  small  volume  entitled  Thornton  Hall,  with  spe 
cial  reference  to  young  ladies  at  boarding  schools,  published 
at  New  York  in  1872,  which  has  been  received  with  pub 
lic  favor.  * 

If  the  work  of  professional  teachers,  seeking  the  high 
est  good,  temporal  and  eternal,  of  all  under  their  care  is 
great;  so  also  are,  and  will  be,  the  results  of  their  abun 
dant  labors. 

Having  said  thus  much  of  these  children,  I  go  back  to 
say  a  few  words  with  regard  to  the  death  of  the  excel 
lent  mother  who,  from  their  infancy,  had  most  tenderly 
cherished  them,  and  faithfully  endeavored  to  train  them 
up  in  the  way  they  should  go.  Her  call  from  this  to  the 
eternal  world  came  suddenly,  at  a  time  and  in  a  way  wholly 
unexpected. 

On  Wednesday,  the  28th  day  of  December,  1848,  we 
were  returning  from  a  pleasant  visit  to  our  relatives  in 
Vershire.  There  was  no  snow  on  the  frozen  ground,  and 
we  were  in  a  covered  wheel  carriage,  drawn  by  one  horse. 
While  descending  the  steep  hill  immediately  north  of  the 
deep  ravine  styled  Eagle  Hollow,  a  holdback  of  the  har 
ness  brol^e,  the  carriage  suddenly  dashed  against  the 
horse,  which  at  once  started  on  a  run;  to  hold  the  strong 
and  terribly  frightened  animal  was  impossible,  and  as  the 
way  was  narrow,  with  sides  rocky  and  precipitous,  to 
turn  either  way  would  be  instant  death.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  way  but  to  keep  still,  and  await  our  destiny: 
Having  descended  the  hill  she,  in  tremulous  voice,  said, 
"  What  shall  I  do?  Shall  I  spring  out?"  My  reply  Avas, 
"Oh,  I  don't  know  !  I  think  not!"  The  horse  dashed  on 
with  fearful  power.  In  a  minute  or  two  she  was  gone  ! 
I  then  dropped  the  reins,  arid  threw  myself  out.  Though 
bruised,  and  on  my  head  gashed,  I  was  enabled  to  rise 
and  return  to  her,  some  ten  or  fifteen  rods  distant.  She 
was  lying  in  the  first  spot  by  the  wayside  which  had  pre 
sented  itself  to  her  eyes  as  affording  the  least  possibility 


436 

of  safety  in  case  of  springing  out.  But  oh,  what  a  spec 
tacle  !  She  breathed,  but  was  speechless  and  insensible. 
No  bones  were  broken,  but  the  brain  had  received  a  fatal 
concussion.  A  friendly  man  was  quickly  present.  At 
his  call  others  came,  and  on  a  bed  conveyed  her  to  a 
neighboring  house,  where  we  were  kindly  received. 
Friends  rapidly  gathered;  skillful  physicians,  good  minis 
ters,  and  kind  hearted  women.  All  was  done  which  could 
be;  but  slie  never  spoke  again,  or  appeared  conscious  of 
her  condition.  She  languished  till  Saturday  morning, 
nearly  three  days,  when,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  John  Gor 
don,  of  Vershire,  but  surrounded  by  her  own  family,  and 
some  other  relatives,  she  expired  December  31,  1848,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  Her  remains  were  taken  di 
rectly  home  to  Bradford,  a  distance  of  some  twelve  miles, 
and  her  funeral,  on  the  subsequent  Wednesday,  was  num 
erously  attended  by  deeply  sympathizing  friends.  Our 
friend,  the  Rev.  Solon  Martin,  then  of  Corinth,  conducted 
the  services,  and  preached  an  appropriate  sermon  on  the 
affecting  occasion.  She,  beyond  doubt,  had  found  it  gain 
to  die.  Her  path  through  life  had  been  continually  grow 
ing  more  and  more  luminous,  and  must  have  terminated, 
not  in  the  darkness  of  the  grave,  but  in  the  perfect  light 
of  eternal  glory  and  blessedness. 

My  third  wife  was  Miss  Sarah  Parmelee,  of  Guilford, 
Ct.,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Jonathan  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Hart) 
Parmelee,  of  that  place  ;  both  of  decidedly  Puritan  de 
scent,  principles,  and  manner  of  life.  In  early  woman 
hood  she  became  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
of  which  the  Rev.  Aaron  Button  was  then  pastor,  and  to 
which  her  parents,  sister,  and  two  brothers  all  belonged ; 
and  for  some  thirty  years  or  more  had  devoted  herself  to 
the  good  work  of  teaching  various  schools  in  her  native 
town.  She  remained  with  her  parents  to  the  close  of 
their  lives,  then  resided  for  a  time  with  her  beloved  sis 
ter,  Mrs.  Fowler,  in  the  same  village ;  but  finally  became 


437 

the  wife  oi  a  minister  away  here  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 
We  were  married  by  Rev.  David  Root,  her  pastor,  April 
30,1851,  and  came  directly  to  Bradford,  where  she  was 
cordially  received  by  her  husband's  family  and  parishon- 
ers,  and  has  since  had  her  home.  We  are  at  this  writing 
quietly  living  in  the  same  cottage  in  which  I  first  com 
menced  house-keeping,  the  same  in  which  all  my  children 
were  born,  now,  through  the  liberality  of  our  people, 
made  our  own  for  life ;  and,  still  surrounded  by  kind 
friends,  are  aiming  to  finish  whatever  work  our  Heavenly 
Father  has  for  us  to  do,  and  be  ready  to  remove  to  our 
heavenly  home  at  whatever  time  He,  in  His  infinite 
wisdom  and  goodness,  shall  see  best  to  call  us  away. 


438 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Specimens  of  Bradford  Poetry — By  Thomas  Ormsby,  Thomas  Ta 
bor,  Miss  Lydia  White,  Emily  II.  Page,  Catharine  MeKeen,  and 
Rev.  S.  MeKeen. 

THE  BOWER  OF  PRAYER. 


Written  by  Mr.  Thomas  Ormsby,  a  praying  man,  in  1821,  when  about 
leaving  his  retired  homestead,  and  favorite  retreat  for  private  devotion,  to 
remove  to  another  home,  though  not  remote.  For  further  notice  of  him, 
see  the  Ormsbys. 

1.  To  leave  my  dear  friends,  and  with  neighbors  to  part, 
And  move  from  my  home,  afflicts  not  my  heart 

Like  the  thought  of  absenting  myself,  for  a  day, 
From  the  blessed  retreat  I  have  chosen  to  pray. 

2.  Dear  bower!  where  the  pine  and  the  poplar  have  spread, 
And  woven  their  branches  a  roof  o'er  my  head ; 

How  often  I've  knelt  on  the  evergreen  there, 
And  poured  out  my  soul  to  my  Saviour  in  prayer. 

3.  The  early  shrill  notes  of  a  loved  nightingale, 
That  dwelt  in  the  bower,  I  observed  as  my  bell 
To  call  me  to  duty ;  while  birds  of  the  air 
Sang  anthems  of  praise  as  I  went  to  prayer. 

4.  How  sweet  were  the  zephyrs,  perfumed  by- the  pine, 
The  ivy,  the  balsam,  and  wild  eglantine ! 

Yet,  sweeter,  O,  sweeter,  superlative  were 
The  joys  I  there  tasted  in  answer  to  prayer. 

5.  For  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  oft'  deigned  to  meet 
And  grace  with  His  presence  my  humble  retreat ; 
Oft'  filled  me  with  rapture  and  blessedness  there, 
Inditing  in  Heaven's  own  language  my  prayer. 

-6.  Dear  bower!  I  must  leave  thee,  and  bid  thee  adieu, 
And  pay  my  devotions  in  places  all  new ; 
Well  knowing  my  Saviour  resides  everywhere, 
And  can  in  nil  places  give  answer  to  prayer. 


439 
THE  SONG  OF  SEVENTY  YEARS  ; 

OR 

THE  YOUNG  OLD  MAN. 
BY  THOMAS  TABOR. 

(For  some  account  of  whom,  see  the  Tabor  Family.) 

1 .  Though  three  score  and  ten,  I  am  not  very  old, 

For  neither  of  death's  warnings  three 
Have  come  to  remind  me — yet  I'm  fast  growing  old, 
And  soon  with  my  fathers  must  be. 

2.  No,  I  cannot  be  old,  for  my  form  is  erect, 

Elastic  and^steady  my  tread ; 
Youth's  rapturous  emotions  my  heart  still  aftect, 
And  few  of  life's  pleasures  are  fled. 

3.  It  cannot,  surely,  be  long  since  I  was  a  child ; 

It  seems  but  a  day,  or  a  week, 

Since  I  joined  my  companions,  gay,  noisy,  and  wild 
In  playing  at  "Hide  and  go  Seek." 

4.  Old  Time,  in  his  swift  course  so  light  footed  has  sped, 

He' s  made  no  deep  tracks  in  his  way ; 
Nor  yet  very  much  frost  has  he  strewn  on  my  head, 
Nor  made  my  affections  his  prey. 

5.  No,  I  am  not  very  old,  that  cannot  be  true; 

Else  why  are  my  feelings  so  young? 
My  enjoyments  so  many,  my  suff'rings  so  few, 
And  melody  still  on  my  tongue  ? 

6.  The  sweet,  pretty  maiden  whose  undisplayed  charms 

First  kindled  a  fire  that  still  burns ; 
It  seems  but  yesterday  she  was  first  in  my  arms ; 
I  smile  as  the  vision  returns. 

7.  The  innocent  freedom  she  so  modestly  gave, 

I  cannot  begin  to  forget ; 

If  age  blots  from  memory  the  records  we  save, 
I'm  sure  I'm  not  aged  yet. 

8.  My  grandparents,  venerable,  died  long  ago, 

Their  children,  my  parents,  are  dead ; 
My  brothers  and  sisters  have  heads  white  as  snow, 
And  are  half  to  eternity  fled. 


440 

9.  Of  six  generations  I  have  seen  in  my  day, 

The  two  first  are  gone,  every  man ; 

And  now,  me  they  call  old!     I  know  I'm  somewhat  gray, 
But  prove  that  I'm  old,  if  you  can. 

10.  For  the  fancies  of  boyhood  as  bright  as  of  yore, 

Still  cluster  round  memory's  shrine ; 
And  the  loves  and  the  synip'thies  felt  long  before, 
To-day  are  as  vividly  mine. 

11.  I  see  not  my  dear  wife  as  she  is  seen  by  you, 

All  toothless,  and  wrinkled,  and  gray, 
But  with  cheeks  fresh  with  roses,  and  lips  moist  with  dew, 
Her  December  has  blossoms  like  May. 

0 

12.  She  still  has  the  maiden  coyness  that,  in  her  youth, 

My  wooings  could  scarce  overcome ; 
So  recalling  the  vows  I  then  made  her  in  truth, 
I'm  sure  that  we  both  are  still  young. 

13.  The  roses  I  planted  in  the  Spring-time  of  life, 

By  temp'rance  and  justice,  now  bloom ; 
And  shed  a  sweet  fragrance  around  me  and  my  wife, 
And  hide  t^e  dark  gate  of  the  tomb. 

14.  As  a  rock  in  the  main,  as  an  oak  on  the  plain, 

Long-battles  the  surge  and  the  blast, 
And  although  they  may  seem  to  remain  firm  and  green, 
Are  destined  to  fall  at  the  last. 

15.  So  each  year,  month  and  day,  though  they  seem  but  in  play, 

And  have  failed  to  make  me  feel  old, 
Yet  I  know  that  in  the  end  to  their  force  I  must  bend, 
And  pass  like  a  tale  that  is  told. 

16.  As  a  stone  that  is  moved  from  the  mountain's  high  top, 

Moves  slowly  along  in  its  course, 
And  at  times  in  its  progress  seems  almost  to  stop, 
Near  the  base  gains  terrible  force, 

17.  So  have  I  been  moving  down  life's  declining  way, 

But  can't  have  grown  old  very  fast, 
Yet  I've  gained  an  impetus,  and  no  one  can  say, 
How  long  my  course  downward  will  last. 

18.  Still  I  cannot  feel  old,  though  I  know  death  is  near ; 

Death  I'll  view  but  as  a  sweet  rest 


441 

For  this  weary  body,  when  all  its  labors  here, 
Shall  cease,  and  I  be  with  the  blest. 

19.    As  the  crawling  worm  dies,  and  a  chrysalis  lies, 

Yet  wakes  a  winged,  beautiful  form, 
So  with  glorious  bloom  man  shall  wake  from  the  tomb, 
As  order  comes  out  of  the  storm. 

I  CANNOT   DIE. 


BY    LYDIA    E.    WHITE, 

Preceptress  in   Bradford    Academy. 

"  I  cannot  die,11  said  the  maiden  fair, 
Twisting  the  locks  of  her  golden  hair; 
"  My  cheek  is  warm,  and  my  eye  is  bright; 
O,  speak  not  to  me  of  death  to-night. 
Speik  of  the  earth,  and  its  pleasures  sweet, 
Of  the  festive  hall  where  gay  ones  meet, 
Arid  of  pleasant  lands,  and  shady  trees, 
Arid  of  spicy  isles  and  sunny  seas ; 
Of  music  clear,  on  the  liquid  air — 
O,  earth  is  beautiful,  bright  arid  fair.'1 

Night  came  again  with  its  shadows  deep — 
The  maid  was  wrap'd  in  wakeless  sleep, 

"I  cannot  die,11  sighed  the  joyous  bride. 
She  stood  by  the  strongman,  in  his  pride, 
And  gazed  in  his  dark  and  pleasant  eye, 
And  thought  'twould  be  hard,  O,  hard,  to  die : 
For  life,  like  a  sunny  landscape  fair, 
Without  one  shade  of  cankering  care, 
O'erspread  with  a  blue  and  cloudless  sky 
Appeared  to  her  bright,  enchanted  eye  ; 
But  she  dreamed  not  earth  is  full  of  woe, 
A  fleeting  dream  and  a  passing  show. 

Spring  came  once  more  to  the  rose's  bed ; 

But  the  bride ;  the  bride ;  ah !  she  was  dead ! 

"  I  cannot  die,11  the  strong  youth  said, 
"  For  the  paths  of  science  I  must  tread  ; 
And  I  must  gain  me  a  noble  name, 
And  write  it  high  on  the  roll  of  Fame. 
29 


442 

Now  ray  life  in  clear  prospective  lies, 
Like  pictures  rare  in  the  cloudless  skies, 
And  laurels  fresh  on  my  brow  I'll  wear, 
For  honors  of  earth  are  not  a  snare. 
My  head  is  clear,  and  my  lie  art  is  strong. 
I  feel  that  my  time  on  earth  is  long." 

That  night  he  sat  o'er  his  page  of  lore ; 

But  on  it  he  gazed  no  more. 

"  I  cannot  die,"  breathed  the  mother  pale, 

As  she  heard  her  first-born  infant's  wail. 

"  O,  I  cnnnot  die,  for  I  am  young; 

And  O,  my  babe  on  the  cold  world  flung, 

Will  be  left  alone  to  pine  and  weep, 

For  who  will  a  mother's  vigils  keep. 

The  loved  ones  all — can  I  leave  them  here  ? 

Those  who  to  my  heart  as  life  are  dear ! 

O,  I  cannot  die  in  youth's  glad  prime, 

And  leave  forever  the  scenes  of  Time." 
Through  the  window-blinds  the  soft  air  stole, 
And  gone  was  the  mother's  deathless  soul. 

"  I  cannot  die,"  sighed  the  man  of  care, 

And  he  hurried  forth  to  do  and  dare ; 

For  his  soul  was  merged  in  business  schemes, 

And  his  sight  obscured  by  lofty  dreams ; 

And  his  plans  were  formed  for  future  years. 

Yes,  they  must  be  wrought,  though  wrought  in  tears. 

His  heart  was  bound  by  a  magic  chain 

To  that  luring  hope,  the  hope  of  gain ; 

And  the  thought  of  death  he  forced  away, 

Saying  "I'll  listen  some  other  day." 

A  few  months  passed  to  the  land  of  shade — 
The  man  of  care  with  the  dead  was  laid. 

Mortal,  whatever  thy  lot  below, 

Be  it  light  or  darkness,  joy  or  woe, 

So  live  that  when  thou  art  called  to  die, 

Thou  then  mayest  go  without  one  sigh, 

Like  one  who  goes  to  a  much  loved  home, 

Never  again  from  its  joys  to  roam  ; 

Like  one  who  his  work  hath  all  well  done, 

And  who  with  patience  his  race  hath  run. 


443 


SOME   SPECIMENS   OF   THE   POETRY  OF   EMILY 
R.  PAGE. 

Emily  Rebecca  Page  was  born  in  Bradford  village,  Vt., 
May  5th,  A.  D.  1834.  Her  father,  Casper  Page,  by  occu 
pation  a  shoemaker,  was  formerly  of  Greensboro,  Vt. 
His  wife,  her  mother,  Emily  A.  Alger,  Was  daughter,  by 
a  former  marriage,  of  Mrs.  Eugene  Baker,  and  died  when 
this,  her  infant  daughter  and  only  child,  was  but  two 
weeks  of  age.  The  dying  young  mother  gave  her  child 
to  Mrs.  Baker,  her  own  mother,  who  tenderly  received 
her  as  her  own.  Emily's  father  died  while  she  was  under 
two  years  of  age — died  of  consumption,  while  quite  a 
young  man. 

Mr.  Eugene  Baker  was  toll-gatherer  at  Piermont  bridge, 
across  Connecticut  River.  His  toll-house,  in  which  Emi 
ly  was  brought  up,  was  at  the  west  end  of  the  bridge, 
and  of  course  in  Bradford, -her  native  place.  Her  com 
memoration  of  The  Old  Bridge,  in  general  use,  was  there 
fore  perfectly  natural. 

Her  earlier  teachers,  both  since  distinguished  for  abili 
ty  and  aptness  to  teach,  were  her  aunt,  Maria  R.  Baker, 
and  Miss  Mary  Belcher,  under  whose  training  she  made 
wonderful  progress.  Later  she  attended  Bradford  Acad 
emy,  and  for  a  term  or  two  that  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 

Emily  wrote  verses  while  yet  a  child,  and  when  about 
a  dozen  years  of  age  some  of  her  poetic  effusions  found 
their  way  into  the  local  paper,  much  to  her  regret  in  after 
years.  Miss  Hemmenway,  Editor  of  the  Vermont  His 
torical  Gazetteer,  speaks  of  Emily's  poetic  genius  and 
productions  in  the  highest  terms,  and  says  she  had  the 
honor,  while  living,  of  being  one  of  the  only  two  in  Ver 
mont  admitted  by  Mr.  Dana  into  his  compilation  of  the 
Household  Poets  of  the  World.  Several  of  her  poems  ap 
pear  in  said  Gazetteer,  and  also  in  the  volume  of  Ver 
mont  Poets. 


444 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Baker,  her  grandfather,  Emily 
went  with  her  grandmother  Baker  and  aunt  Maria  to 
Chelsea,  near  Boston,  where  she  was  connected  editorial 
ly  with  one  of  the  Boston  weekly  papers,  and  as  poetical 
editress  of  Gleason's  various  publications.  Always  frail 
and  delicate,  she  died  at  Chelsea,  Mass.,  February  14, 
1862,  where  she  had  for  several  years  resided  with  her 
grandmother  and  aunt.  She  died  in  the  thirty-second 
year  of  her  age.  Her  grave  is  in  Woodlawn  cemetery, 
her  only  epitaph  being  her  own  words,  "  Through  the 
darkness  into  light." 

THE  OLD    BRIDGE. 

BY    EMILY    K.    PAGE. 

Bowered  at  either  arching*  entrance 

By  a  wilderness  of  leaves ; 
Clustering  o'er  the  slant  old  gables, 

And  the  brown  and  mossy  eaves, 
Is  the  dear  old  bridge,  which  often, 

Often  in  the  olden  time, 
Echoed  to  our  infant  footfalls, 

And  our  voice's  ringing  chime. 

Where  from  out  the  narrow  windows 

We  have  watched  the  day  go  down 
Till  the  air  was  full  of  twilight, 

Soft  and  shadowy  and  brown ; 
Till  the  river,  gliding  past  us, 

Gloom  upon  its  bosom  wore ; 
And  the  shadows,  deep  and  deeper, 

Crept  along  the  winding  shore ; 
Till  the  pale  young  moon  grew  brighter, 

And  the  silver-footed  night 
Scattered  stars  along  the  pathway 

Of  die  eve's  departing  flight. 

Oh!  the  dear  old  bridge Jias  echoed 

To  the  tread  of  many  feet, 
Whose  sweet  music  long  has  slumbered, 

Muffled  in  the  winding;  sheet. 


445 

Many  voices,  too,  have  sounded, 
Clear  and  soft  and  full  of  song', 

Like  the  ripple  of  a  bird-note, 
All  the  ringing  roof  along. 

But  the  silent  angel  hushed  them 

Many,  many  years  agone, 
Yet  an  echo  'mong  its  arches 

Seemeth  still  to  linger  on ; 
And  as  now  within  its  shadow 

I  am  sitting  all  alone, 
Flows  the  river  down  beneath  me 

With  a  sad  and  ceaseless  moan, 
As  if  grieving  for  the  lost  ones — 

They  who  listened  long  ago, 
Leaning  from  the  narrow  windows 

To  the  light  waves'  lulling  flow. 

And  the  elm  trees,  swaying  lightly, 

Let  their  shadowy  dimness  fall 
Far  in  on  the  frowning  columns, 

And  along  the  darkened  wall ; 
Like  the  shadows  which  have  drifted 

From  the  death-damps  of  the  tomB", 
Wrapping  up  my  glad  young-  spirit 

In  the  mantles  of  their  gloom. 

And  the  golden -fingered  sunbeams 

Sifting  through  the  broken  roof, 
Weave  upon  the  dusty  flooring 

Here  and  there  their  shimmering  woof; 
Seeming  like  the  golden  vista 

Where  my  hopes  reposed  secure, 
When  the  dew  of  life's  young  morning 

O'er  my  heart  lay  fresh  and  pure. 

Now,  though  years  have  swept  me  onward 

Down  the  hurrying  tide  of  time, 
Leaving  childhood  far  behind  me, 

Like  a  pleasant  matin  chime — 
Yet  from  youth's  deserted  gardens 

I  am  gathering  up  the  flowers, 
Whose  sweet  fragrance  floateth  to  me, 

Cheering  all  the  languid  hours. 


446 

For  again  the  shining  pageant 

Of  the  long-forgotten  past 
Floats  before  me,  with  no  shadow 

O'er  its  sunny  surface  cast. 
1  forget  the  many  grave-mounds 

That  lie  dark  and  cold  between, 
For  the  "silver  lining"  only 

Of  the  frowning  cloud  is  seen. 

With  the  sunlight  round  about  me 

Bright  and  glad  as  long  ago, 
And  the  river  down  beneath  me, 

With  its  soft,  continuous  flow, 
With  the  old  familiar  places, 

All  about  me  everywhere, 
Come  again  the  pleasant  faces 

That  made  earth  so  bright  and  fair: 
And,  as  then,  each  passing  cloudlet 

Seems  to  wear  a  golden  edge,* 
As  I  muse  within  the  shadow 

Falling  from  the  dear  old  bridge. 

BE  NOT  WEARY. 

BY    EMILY   R.    PAGE. 

Laughing,  down  the  misty  valleys, 

Where  the  morning  faintly  falls, 
Go  the  sowers,  in  life's  Spring-time, 

Scattering  where  the  spirit  calls. 
But,  while  yet  the  dew  is  weeping 

From  the  flowers  along  the  way, 
They  are  pausing — spent  with  labor, 

Ere  the  noon-tide  of  the  day. 
Be  not  weary,  Spring-time  sowers 

Through  the  valleys'  level  sweep, — 
If  ye  be  but  faithful  doers, 

In  the  Autumn  ye  shall  reap. 

When  the  heavenward  lark  uprising 
On  the  air  her  matin  leaves, 

In  life's  field  swart  hands  are  busy, 
Binding  up  the  golden  sheaves. 


447 

Up  and  up'the  sun  is  climbing, 

And  the  day  grows  faint  with  heat, 
And  along  the  harvest  meadows 

Faltering  fall  the  reapers'  feet. 
Be  not  weary,  sturdy  gatherers 

Of  the  full  and  golden  store ; 
In  the  season  that  is  coming 

Ye  can  sow  nor  reap  no  more. 

Ye  who  keep  on  Zion's  mountain 

Watch,  to  tell  us  of  the  night ; 
Who,  in  Truth's  victorious  army, 

Battle  bravely  for  the  right ; 
Ye  who  stand  on  life's  proud  summit, 

Whence  your  way  lies  down  and  down, 
'Mong  the  shadows  of  the  valley 

AVhere  Earth's  empty  echoes  drown ; 
Ye  who  struggle, — ye  who  suffer, 

Be  not  weary  doing  good  ; 
Ye  shall  wear  the  shining  garments 

That  are  fitting  angelhood. 


IN  MEMORY  OF  MRS.  ELIZABETH  PRICHARD, 

Wife  of  Deacon  George  W.  Prichard,  who  Died  at  Bradford,  Vt. 
March  5,  1853,  aged  Sixty-one  Years. 


BY   MISS   EMILY    R.    PAGE. 

She  is  sleeping — lowly  laid 

To  her  last  and  dreamless  rest ; 

With  the  heart  so  pure  and  meek, 
Stifled  within  her  throbless  breast. 

Raise  ye,  with  the  hand  of  love, 
Sculptured  marble  o'er  her  head ; 

Let  the  graven  tablet  tell 
Of  the  virtues  of  the  dead. 

Yet  in  many  a  lowly  heart, 
Laden  with  its  weight  of  care, 

Is  her  proudest  monument, 

Cherished  with  a  blessing  there. 


448 

Hers  have  been  the  pleasant  paths 
That  the  blessed  Master  trod  ; 

Hers  has  been  the  sweet  reward 
Of  the  faithful  unto  God. 

And  her  memory,  like  a  gem 

Set  in  Glory's  coronal, 
Still  shall  be,  undimmed  and  bright, 

Fadeless  in  the  hearts  of  all. 

Ye  who  weep  above  her  dust, 
Grieving  for  the  gentle  gone, 

Let  your  high  and  holy  trust 
In  the  Father  bear  you  on. 

For,  though  Death's  relentless  hand 
Tender  ties  hath  sternly  riven, 

God  hath  called  her  from  our  hearts 
To  her  happier  home  in  heaven. 

ONLY   WAITING. 


BY  MISS  EMILY  K.  PAGE. 

A  very  aged  Christian,  who  was  so  poor  as   to  be  in  an  almshouse,  was 
asked  what  he  was  doing  there  ?     He  replied  "Only  Waiting." 

Only  waiting  till  the  shadows, 

Are  a  little  longer  growrn ; 
Only  waiting  till  the  glimmer 

Of  the  days  last  beam  is  flown ; 
Till  the  night  of  earth  is  faded 

From  the  heart  once  full  of  day; 
Till  the  stars  of  heaven  are  breaking 

Through  the  twilight,  soft  and  gray. 

Only  waiting  till  the  angels 

Open  wide  the  mystic  gate ; 
For  which  full  long  I  have  lingered, 

Weary,  poor  and  desolate. 
Even  now  I  hear  their  footsteps, 

And  their  voices  far  away. 
If  they  call  me  I  am  waiting. 

Only  waiting  to  obey. 


449 

Only  Waiting  till  the  reapers 

Have  the  last  sheaf  gathered  home ; 
For  the  Summer  time  is  faded, 

And  autumn  winds  are  eome. 
Quickly  reapers,  gather  quickly 

The  last  ripe  hours  of  my  heart ; 
For  the  bloom  of  life  is  withered, 

And  I  hasten  to  depart. 

Only  waiting  till  the  shadows 

Are  a  little  longer  grown ; 
Only  waiting  till  the  glimmer 

Of  the  day's  last  beam  is  flown : — 
Then  from  out  the  gathered  darkness 

Holy,  deathless  stars  shall  rise, 
By  whose  light  my  soul  shall  gladly 

Tread  its  pathway  to  the  skies. 

The  following  pieces,  signed  C.  McK..  were  written  by  Miss  Catharine 
McKeen,  Associate  Principal  of  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  who  died  at 
the  home  of  her  uncle  and  aunt  Atkinson,  Mount  Leon,  Virginia  West, 
July  20,  1858.  They  need  no  commendation.  For  further  notice  of  the 
author,  see  the  preceding  chapter. 

The  first  of  these  articles  is  an  extract  from  a  poetical  effusion  of  her 
heart,  on  the  day  of  the  death  of  her  beloved  sister  Marianne,  March  24, 
1845- 

And  art  thou  gone,  my  angel  love, 

So  soon  to  heav'n  thy  home  above? 

Oh!  wherefore  haste  thee  thus  away? 

Wast  weary  with  so  brief  a  stay? — 

Some  call  this  earth  a  desert  drear ; 

But,  sister,  thou  wast  happy  here ; 

And  here  were  friends  thou  lovedst  well ; 

How  loved  thyself,  no  words  can  tell. 

***** 

Yet  Jesus  called ;  and  thou  hast  flown 
To  join  thy  kindred  round  the  throne. 

Oh!  what  a  rapt,  ecstatic  thrill, 
Did  thy  whole  soul  and  being  fill, 
When  first  on  thy  unclouded  eyes 
Burst  all  the  glories  of  the  skies ! 
How  didst  thou  view  the  vision  bright? 
Till  ev'ry  doubt  was  lost  in  sight ; 


450 

Then  lightly  tread  the  golden  street, 
To  how  before  thy  Saviour's  feet; 
While  thousands  and  ten  thousands  raise 
High  anthems  of  enraptured  praise, 
And  sound  through  all  the  heavenly  plain 

Hosannahs,  to  the  Lamb,  once  slain. 

***** 

C.  McK. 
TO   HER   MOTHER   IN    HEAVEN. 

Mother  dearest,  I  am  kneeling 

Close  beside  thee,  as  before  ;. 
But  I  cannot  see  thee — 

Ah !  the  bitter  Nevermore ! 

Precious  mother  I  am  waiting       . 

For  thy  hand  upon  my  head — 
Oh,  my  mother,  vainly  waiting 

For  a  blessing  from  the  dead. 

Oft  upon  thy  gladsome  birth-days 
How  I  blessed  my  God  for  thee — 

For  thy  spirit's  light,  so  holy, 
Ever  beaming  down  on  me. 

And  to-day  my  anguished  spirit, 
With  a  deeper,  chastened  love, 
Blesses  God  I  have  a  mother 
For  my  angel  guard  above. 

C.  McK. 

Written  June  17,  1849,  on  her  beloved  mother's  birth-day,  and  at  her 
grave. 

The  following  beautiful  and  affecting  lines  were  written  by  Miss  C.  Me 
Keen,  more  than  a  year  preceding  her  decease,  but  immediately  after  an 
attack  of  bleeding  from  the  lungs,  when  she  was  expecting  to  go  soon  : 

GOING    HOME. 

Going  Home!     Going  Home! 
To  my  Father's  own  embrace ; 
Home,  to  see  my  Saviour's  face ! 
Weary  pilgrim,  for  my  feet 


451 

Waits  at  Home  a  blest  retreat, 
Wrought  for  me  with  skill  divine 
Ere  the  stars  began  to  shine ! 
Homeward  from  the  whitened  field, 
Where  the  harvests  richly  yield, 
Slowly  with  repentant  grief, 
Must  I  bear  my  meagre  sheaf; — 
But  when  at  the  door  I  stand, 
Christ  will  take  it  in  His  hand, 
And,  for  His  dear  sake  forgiv'n, 
Bid  me  welcome  Home  to  heav'n. 
Then,  with  joyful  welcoming 
Shall  all  harps  and  voices  ring 
To  the  high  celestial  dome, 
For  a  wandering  child  come  Home. 

Going  Home !  Going  Home 
To  the  blessed  land  above ; 
Children  of  one  Father's  love ; — 
Many  I  have  loved  below, 
Many  I  have  longed  to  know ; 
Blessed  union,  sweet  and  strong, 
Binding  all  that  countless  throng ! 
O,  the  joy  of  loving  there, 
Purely,  fully,  without  fear  ; 
Not  a  loved  one  e'er  shall  die, 
Naught  can  hi  ing  one  tear  or  sigh ; 
Richest  fellowship  of  mind 
Shall  my  longing  spirit  find. 
List'ning  from  some  humble  place, 
I  shall  catch  the  words  of  grace 

Which  from  Israel's  Psalmist  fall, 
Or  the  eloquence  oi  Paul ; 
See  the  great  in  faith  and  love 
Great  in  all  that's  great  above ; 
And  the  music  I  shall  hear 
Never  fell  on  human  ear ; 
Sweetest  theme  of  thought  and  song, 
Kindling  all  the  raptured  throng, 
Shall  be  Christ,  the  Lord,  once  slain ; 
Christ,  the  Lord,  now  ris'n  again. 


452 

Going  Home!     Going  Home! 
There  from  all  unrest  to  be 
Sweetly  and  forever  free ; — 
Free  from  weariness  and  pain, 
Free  from  cares  that  vex  in  vain, 
Free  from  sin ;  the  conflict  o'er, 
Pure  in  heart  forevermore. 
O,  the  blissful,  wondrous  change ! 
Sli all  I  know  myself,  so  strange? 
But  a  richer  joy  than  rest 
Is  employ  among  the  blest; 
Thought  so  clear  and  strong  and  free, 
Tireless,  through  eternity 
Roaming  with  intense  delight, 
Where  the  vision  feels  no  night; 
Beauty  shall  the  spirit  fill ; 
Wondering  joy  its  being  thrill! 
Yet  that  spirit  ne'er  shall  know  * 

Linking  fetters,  felt  below  ; 
All  my  soul,  with  growing  pow'r, 
Serving  God  from  hour  to  hour, 
SliM.ll  its  highest  pleasure  win 
In  the  deepest  love  to  Him. 

I  am  going — going  Home ! 
Father,  when  thy  call  I  hear, 
Let  me  neither  shrink  or  fear ; 
Gladly  would  I  come  to  Thee, 
Painful  though  the  way  may  be ; 
All  thy  children,  gathering  fast, 
Shall  encircle  Thee  at  last ; 
All  at  Home !    Yes,  all  at  Home ! 
Never,  nevei?  thence  to  roam ! 

C.  McK. 

ELEGY. 

[On  a  sister's  favorite  Canary  Bird,  which  had  died  at  night,  alone  in  its 
cage  ;   by  Miss  CATHERINE  McKEEN,  then  in  failing  health.] 

Wert  thou  lonely,  Darling  Birdie, 

In  the  dark  and  solemn  night, 
When  cold  Death  came  creeping  round  thee, 


453 

And  put  out  thy  Spirit's  light? 
Thou  wert  not  alone,  sweet  Birdie ; 

Gentle  hands  received  thy  breath : 
For  the  God  who  made  and  loved  thee 

Willed  and  watched  His  Birdie's  death. 

Rig-id  lies  thy  little  body, 

In  its  golden,  downy  nest : — 
Where  is  that  which  woke  to  motion, 

Which  should  break  this  peaceful  rest? 
Where  is  that  which  danced  and  sparkled 

In  thy  cunning  ebon  eyes  ? 
Stirred  thy  wings  to  mount  and  flutter 

Free  and  joyous,  toward  the  skies? 

Where  is  now  the  fount  of  music 

Welling  once  from  out  thy  throat, 
Softly  trembling,  richly  swelling, 

In  triumphant,  liquid  note  ? 
Where  the  consciousness  that  answered 

To  thy  lady's  voice  and  sight, 
Gave  thee  joy,  anon,  and  sorrow, 

Thinking,  feeling  little  sprite  ? 

Strange  and  solemn  is  the  silence 

Wrapped  around  thy  spirit  now  : 
God  has  never  told  us,  Birdie, 

Where  he  treasures  such  as  thou. 
Soon  my  form  will  lie,  sweet  Birdie, 

Tenantless  and  still  as  thine ; 
But  I  know,  for  God  has  told  me, 

/  shall  spring  to  life  divine! 

C.    McK. 
Mount  Leon,  Va.,  March,  1858. 

THE   SPECTRE  HORSE. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THIS  BOOK. 

The  following  poetic  effusion,  first  published  in  the  Christian  Mirror  at 
Portland,  Maine,  was  occasioned  by  an  eloquent  temperance  address  by  a 
Universalist  minister,  who  graphically  described  intemperance  as  a  mighty 
steed,  rushing  with  his  great  car  loaded  with  drunkards,  down  a  steep  de- 


454 

clivity  into  a  rapid  river,  or  deep  gulf,  below ;  and  pathetically  called  his 
hearers  to  the  rescue  of  their  fellow  mortals  who  were  in  such  fearful  peril. 
This  call  I  forthwith,  in  this  manner,  attempted  to  obey.  Whatever  in  the  piece 
is  contrary  to  the  idea  that  such  a  load  of  drunkards  would  not  in  their  first 
plunge  into  the  dark  waters  of  Death  find  themselves  infinitely  better  off 
than  they  would  have  been  if  stopped  in  their  downward  course,  must  be 
ascribed  to  the  writer,  and  not  to  the  orator,  who  stayed  not  at  all  to  settle 
that  question  The  representation  of  Satan  as  driver  of  the  Spectre  Horse, 
with  his  drunkard's  car,  was  not  contained  in  the  original  picture  ;  but  no 
one  can  dispute  his  title  to  that  position. 

THE   SPECTRE   HORSE. 


A  wondrous  steed  I  saw,  of  size  and  height 
Which  ne'er  before,  I  ween,  met  human  sight : 
His  head,  high  raised,  was  in  a  tempest  cloud ; 
His  snorting  seemed  like  startling  thunder  loud; 
Right  on  the  huge,  tremendous  monster  dashed — 
From  out  his  nostrils  streams  of  lighthing  flashed ! 
Beneath  the  prancing  of  his  ponderous  feet 
Earth  trembled,  e'en  to  Pluto's  fabled  seat. 
With  more  than  lurid  comet's  mighty  force 
He,  mad,  pursued  his  daring,  headlong  course, 
Straight  down  a  mountain's  steep,  declining  side, 
Against  whose  base  dashed  the  rolling  tide  — 
The  fearful  tide  of  death!     A  car  he  drew 
With  wheels  more  high  than  rapt  Ezekiel  knew ; 
With  body  vast,  arranged  in  such  a  mode 
As  to  receive  some  thousands  at  a  load. 
The  force  of  Mars,  the  strength  of  Juggernaut, 
Were  in  this  strong  machine  together  brought. 
A  shout  more  loud,  more  dread,  than  shout  of  war 
Outflew  this  huge  and  quickly  coming  car, 
Whose  pealing,  startling  sound  awoke  my  ear, 
And  filled  my  trembling  heart  with  sudden  fear. 
By  pity  moved,  and  nerved  with  vigor  new, 
To  help  the  wretches  I  determined,  flew. 
But  oh !  believe  who  can ;  I  quickly  found 
That  shout  was  not  of  grief,  but  joy,  the  sound! 
On,  on,  with  banners  streaming  high  they  came, 
Inscribed  with  every  Alcoholic  name. 
Amid  this  car  a  cauldron  fiercely  boiled, 
From  whose  infernal  fumes  not  one  recoiled; 


455 

But  through  long  winding-  things,  called  worms,  conveyed, 

The  deadly  liquid  was  in  bars  displayed ; 

To  which  all  thronged,  resolved  to  get  their  fill 

Of  drunkard's  drink  fresh  pouring  from  their  still ; 

And  while  some  trembling  lay,  some  reeling  stood — 

All  all,  with  one  consent,  pronounced  it  good. 

Lewd  men,  with  mates  as  lewd,  both  dark  and  fair, 

Dishonest  men,  with  men  of  blood,  were  there ; 

Dark  minded,  crafty  men,  of  deeds  untold, 

With  gentlemen,  lured  on  through  love  of  gold, 

Who  seldom  drank,  themselves,  but  understood 

How  best  to  sponge  the  fools  that  would. 

And  from  this  numerous,  motley,  drunken  crowd. 

Rose  execrations  dire,  and  laughter  loud ; 

With  jests  and  scoffs  profane,  and  ribald  song, 

As  down  to  death  they  gaily  swept  along. 

Stop!  desperate  mortals,  stop!  i  loudly  cried, 

See  there  a  gulf;  try  not  its  roaring  tide ! 

Behold  its  treacherous  service  covered  o'er 

With  bodies  dead  of  those  who've  jumped  before ! 

Stop !  madmen,  stop !  turn  back !  or  I  foretell 

You'll  quickly  plunge  into  the  gulf  of  liell ! 

A  vaunt !  cried  some ;  to  man  the  lot  is  given 

To  drive  through  hell  to  seats  of  bliss  in  heaven . 

The  mighty  driver  of  that  wondrous  steed 

Then  cracked  the  whip  and  urged  his  headlong  speed ; 

And  while  at  me  a  fi'ry  dart  he  threw, 

Most  fondly  said  to  his  confiding  crew : 

"  Fear  not;  no  hell  there  is,  why  trouble  buy? 

"Enjoy  yourselves;   Ye  shall  not  surely  die; 

"That  flood  at  which  the  dastard  terror  feels 

"Can  never  reach  the  axles  of  our  wrheels; 

"  The  sooner  in,  brave  boys,  the  sooner  through, 

"  And  all  beyond  is  joy,  is  heaven  for  you ! 

u  Not  one  of  you,  I  gospel  truth  declare, 

"  Do  what  you  will,  shall  be  excluded  there." 

A  thund'ring  shout  of  joy  they  quickly  raised, 

In  paeans  loud,  loud  their  loved  driver  praised ; 

On  still  they  drank,  and  danced,  profanely  swore ; 

On- flew  the  horse,  and  quickly  reached  the  shore ; — 

In  plunged  the  monster,  with  his  cumbrous  load, 

And  heedless  of  their  shrieks  still  onward  strode ; 


456 

Down,  down  went  horse  and  car,  and  frighted  crowd, 
To  ocean's  depths,  overwhelmed  by  billows  proud ! 
I,  breathless,  viewed  the  gulf,  both  near  and  far; 
Up  came  the  hated  horse,  with  empty  car! 
There  sat  the  fiend !  with  sly,  infernal  leer ; 
He  looked  around,  and  back  was  seen  to  steer, 
To  take  of  drunkards  yet  another  freight, 
Consigned  to  dread  perdition's  yawning  gate ! 
All  such  he  boldly  claims,  and  knows  full  well 
How  easy  'tis  to  wheel  them  down  to  hell. 

THE  GOD  OF  NATURE. 

AMOS,  5  :  8,  9. 

The  floating  clouds,  the  falling  rain, 
The  rolling  earth,  the  starry  plain, 
The  good,  the  mighty  God  confess, 
And  counsels  wise  to  man  address — 

Seek  Him  who  lias  the  Pleiads  made: 
Orion,  too, — who  death's  dark  shade 
Converts  to  morning's  welcome  light, 
And  turns  the  joyous  day  to  night; 
Who  bids  the  ocean  vapors  rise, 
Supply  the  cisterns  of  the  skies, 
And  thence  descend  in  genial  show'rs, 
To  clothe  the  earth  with  smiling  tiow'rs, — 
With  fruits  and  fields  of  bending  grain ; 

The  Lord!    The  Lord's!  His  holy  name! 
He  aids  the  weak  against  the  strong ; 
Praise,  Praise  Him,  in  sublimest  song. 

S.  Mck. 

THIRSTY  SINNERS  INVITED  TO  CHRIST. 

• 

JOHN,  7:  37. 

Originally  written  for  the  last  day  of  a  "  Protracted  Meeting." 

1.  Come  now,  dear  friends,  the  Saviour  calls; 
On  thirsty  souls  His  notice  falls ; 
From  broken  cisterns  turn  away ; 
Death  hastens,  you  must  not  delay. 


457 

2.  Pure  living  water  Jesus  brings ; 
From  Christ,  the  Living  Rock,  it  springs ; 
Your  raging  thirst  it  will  control, 

And  make  the  wounded  spirit  whole. 

3.  To  all  who  thirst  this  water's  free ; 
It's  free  for  yon,  and  free  for  me ; 
The  offer's  kind,  the  day  is  great, 

To  see  you  come  the  angels  wait. 

4.  No  sword  gleams  by  this  water's  side  ; 
Come,  say  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride ; 
And  here  the  blessed  Jesus  stands, 
With  tearful  eyes  and  outspread  hands ! 

5.  This  day  of  grace  may  be  your  last ; 
Tt  flies ! — soon,  soon  it  will  be  past ! 
The  day  of  wrath !  when  that's  begun, 
No  water  cools  the  fervid  tongue. 

S.  M.  K, 


THE    JUDGMENT    DAY. 

1.  Lo  it  comes!  the  day  expected! 

Lightnings  flash,  and  thunder  roars ; 
Christ  his  throne  has  now  erected ! 
Down  the  skies  his  glory  pours ; 

Earth,  affrighted, 
Trembles  throughout  all  her  shores ! 

2.  Hark!  the  trump  of  God  is  calling 

Adam's  race,  both  quick  and  dead ; 
Tombs  are  cleaving,  towers  falling; 
Slumb'ring  nations  lift  the  head, 

And  are  rising, 
Both  from  earth  and  ocean's  bed ! 

8.  Harden'd  sinners  are  confounded; 

They  have  heard  Him,  from  afar, 
Christ,  with  glories  bright  surrounded, 
Calling,  Come,  now,  to  my  bar ! 

Oh !  how  dreadful, 
To  receive  their  sentence  there ! 


458 

4.  But  ye  Saints,  who  died  believing, 

Hoping;,  'mid  the  gloom  of  night — 
Crowns  of  life  from  Christ  receiving. 
Crowns  and  robes  with  glory  bright, 

Ye  are  destin'd, 
Hence  to  shine  in  realms  of  light. 

S.  M.  K. 


459 


VALEDICTION. 

My  work  is  finished.  Amid  many  hindrances  I  have 
done  the  best  I  could.  If  those  for  Whose  gratification 
this  service  was  undertaken  should  generally  be  satisfied, 
I  shall  feel  that  1  have  not  labored  in  vain.  While  medi 
tating  on,  and  writing  of,  friends  and  scenes  long  since  pass 
ed  away,  and  preparing  some  account  of  our  present  peo 
ple  and  affairs,  for  the  information  of  those  who  shall  come 
after  us,  I  am  moved  to  say,  0,  Bradford,  Bradford !  field 
of  my  early  and  late  ministerial  labors ;  resting  place  of 
my  nearest  and  dearest  kindred,  and  venerated  parishion 
ers  ;  abode  of  many  tried  and  faithful  iriends ;  endeared 
to  me  by  ten  thousand  fond  and  tender  recollections !  So 
long  as  the  beautiful  Connecticut  shall  flow  by  thy  side, 
and  the  lofty  mountains  which  skirt  thy  horizon  shall 
stand  as  monuments  of  the  great  Creator's  power  and  im 
mutability,  and  thy  charming  scenery  continue  to  delight 
the  eyes  and  the  heart  of  every  lover  of  the  beautiful, 
may  Heaven's  blessing  rest  upon  thy  sons  and  daughters ; 
vice  and  crime  find  no  place  among  them ;  but  intelligence, 
and  virtue,  good  order,  and,  above  ail,  true  religion,  with 
all  its  attending  and  consequent  benefits,  be  their  inher 
itance  and  pre-eminent  glory. 


ERRATA  AND  OMISSIONS. 

Page  2,  for  conainiug  read  containing;  and  for  reasonable,  seasona 
ble. 

13,  line  13,  for  seventy-six,  sixty-six, 

17,  line  26,  insert  inhabitants  of  before  said  Township. 

20,  line  10,  for  six  month,  six  months  fr,om  the  date. 

27,  lines  20,  21,  for  reversions  and  remissions,  reversion  and  rever 
sions. 

28,  line  2  from  the  bottom,  for  written,  read  within. 
31,  for  eke,  execute. 

37,  for  forty-two,  forty. 
49,  for  stock-yard,  stack-yard. 
61,  for  Englishmen,  Englishman. 
68,  for  June,  January. 

74,  after  1867  supply  and. . 

75,  for  Rev.  Wm.,  Rev.  Mr. 
120,  for  ghostly,  ghastly. 
121,forPeckles,  PicMes. 

125,  line  12,  for  through,  thorough. 

127,  line  6,  for  bearing,  learning  ;  line  11,  for  Bernslee,  Bemslee. 
141,  line  7,  for  gen&logy ,  genealogy ;  in  the  foot  note  for  Benjamin  F., 
Benjamin  P. 

147,  line  7,  for  criminal,  dismal. 
150,  for  Epapros,  Epaphras. 
153,  line  11,  for  at,  to. 

226,  omit  the  comma  after  Mary. 

227,  for  Shum,  Shumway. 
235,  for  including,  indicating. 
243  ,-5  ,-6,  for  Dake,  Doke. 

260,  atter  Their  Children  omit  were,  and  for  1767  read  1777. 

270,  line  23,  for  twenty-first  read  twenty-fourth. 

271,  Elzina,  Elsina. 

278,  line  8,  for  1796,  1799. 

285,  last  line,  for  Burnet,  Barnet. 

298,  for  Hemstead,  Hampstead. 

305,  line  8,  for  Monson,  Manson;  line  11,  after  Martha  omit  the 
comma. 

331,  line  17,  for  June  20,  1813,  read  June  22,  1791. 

372,  line  17,  for  1828  read  1808  ;  line  19,  for  1830,  1810  ;  line  21,  for 
18—,  1831. 

395,  line  18,  for  father,  pastor. 


405,  for  Homoepathie,  Homeopathic;  and  on  page  406,  for  Homoepa- 
thy,  Homeopathy. 

407,  line  19,  for  18—,  read  1790. 
411,  for  Nutpelee,  Nutfield. 
415,  for  Gratius,  Grotius. 

418,  line  6,  fcr  three,  their. 

419,  line  9,  for  friends,  fireside. 

419,  line  18,  for  restrained,  sustained. 

436,  for  Mrs.,  Mr. 

443,  line  18,  for  general  use,  read  graceful  verse. 

455,  line  19,  for  service,  surface  ;  line  20,  for  jumped,  plunged. 


In  chapter  V  the  following  should  have  appeared,  immediately  after 
"Charles  May  Killed  in  a  Duel  :" 

BRADFORD   BRASS   BAND. 

This  company  of  musicians,  incorporated  by  act  of  the 
Legislature,  have  a  commodious  hall  for  their  social  gath 
erings,  and  an  elegant  stand  in  a  central  part  of  the  vil 
lage,  from  which,  under  their  accomplished  leader,  Capt. 
R.  E.  Whitcomb,  they  occasionally,  on  pleasant  evenings, 
discourse  sweet  music,  to  the  high  gratification  of  numer 
ous  listeners.  They  are  also  accustomed  to  favor  the 
public  with  their  performances  in  this  and  other  towns, 
on  various  occasions.  Their  leader  was  a  distinguished 
bugler  in  a  cavalry  regiment  during  the  late  war  for  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion. 


At  the  close  of  Chapter  XVIII  should  have  been  printed  the  follow 
ing  : 

An  important  Drug  and  Medicine  store  has  been  here 
kept  for  several  years  by  H.  G.  Day. 

Books  and  Stationery  by  Mrs.  J.  D.  Clark. 

Hardware,  Iron,  Steel,  Coal,  Nails,  Cutlery,  Glass, 
Farmers'  Tools,  etc.,  etc.,  wholesale  and  retail,  by  Eaton 
&  Co. 

Various  other  stores  not  here  particularly  mentioned. 

Bradford  village  is  a  center  of  trade  for  a  populous 
surrounding  community. 


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